


Happiness is a Failing Grade Away

by plastic_cello



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Baldur is a pain in the ass, F/M, Loki is a long suffering older brother, M/M, Teacher Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-19
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2017-12-12 07:47:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 113,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/809075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plastic_cello/pseuds/plastic_cello
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baldur Odinson is failing chemistry, and the only way he can save himself from his parents's wrath is to employ his brother Loki to play nice with his teacher Mr. Stark.  But things don't go precisely as planned, and he might have gotten himself into a bigger mess than he ever imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue :: Baldur & the Failing Grade

**Author's Note:**

> This idea cropped up at of nowhere, but I have to say I was loosely inspired by "B+" by something_poison. I would highly recommend reading it; it is one of my favorite Frostiron stories! And I have to admit I have a bit of a kink for teacher!Tony.
> 
> Aside from that I hope you (somehow) enjoy this. :)

* * *

 

**Prologue :: Baldur & the Failing Grade**

 

* * *

 

"A thirty-nine percent, Odinson," the paper was tossed carelessly onto Baldur's desk; but he hardly paid it any heed. Not when he had already predicted how poorly he would do on the exam once it first passed underneath his eyes.

Science and mathematics were not his forte; in fact, academics in general proved to be his weak spot in general. Loki was the one who'd excelled above and beyond in that field; then again he was also adopted, so he couldn't possibly be compared to the Odinson gene pool anyway. Thor, on the other hand, had been equally bad in school as Baldur was; except he had breezed by due to his athletic achievements.

Sadly Baldur hadn't any advanced physicality either. He hadn't any real talents to gloat about, which made his current predicament that much harder to swallow. Many of his teachers in the past had assumed he had some sort of potential, but he had always held himself back for one reason or another; self-sabotage really. Mr. Stark didn't share that same sort of opinion, though.

"This test should have been a cake walk, if you actually chose to study. Not to mention if you chose to show up for class in the first place." Mr. Stark chided him, before jamming his finger onto the center of the paper. "You know what the second lowest grade was of the class? It was a seventy-six; thirty-seven points higher than your abysmal thirty-nine percent."

Baldur had nothing to say to that; it was impossible to contest cold hard fact. He wasn't like Loki, who'd been blessed with the ability to argue any point tossed his way. Even if it was something blatantly obvious as the color of the sky; Loki could argue for hours that it was purple rather than blue just because he could.

"You're failing this class, Odinson." Mr. Stark threw himself into his chair, before crossing his arms. "You need chemistry to graduate, you know. Technically, you could always go to summer school; but I have the feeling you wouldn't even grace the world with your presence at eight o'clock in morning. So what are we going to do about it?"

"I could always do some extra credit work." He supplied, but the look on Mr. Stark's face spoke volumes about that suggestion.

"There isn't enough extra credit work in the world to save your grade, Odinson."

"Then what are my options exactly?"

"Take a failing grade and repeat the class with me next year. Summer school is your other option, but like I already mentioned I doubt you'd be up for it; and if you didn't show up for that, well you'd be as the natives call it – screwed." Mr. Stark reached over and picked up his exam, flipping through it haughtily. "I'm going to have to have a talk with your parents; I guess they'll be the deciding factor over your fate."

Baldur blanched at that statement; mostly because his old man was bound to kill him for failing. There wasn't any room in the Odinson household for failure; especially when it was intentional failure. And Mr. Stark wouldn't lie on account for him either; not when he'd been such a pain the ass for the past few months.

"I bet a lot of teachers sit here and lie to you." Mr. Stark continued after a moment, leaning inward to hold out the exam to him. "They'll tell you what you want to hear. That you're a bright kid with an even brighter future ahead of you, but I'm not one to bullshit my students; Odinson, you're failing because you don't give a damn and you don't give a damn because you think your parents are going to save your ass in the end. So why bother with chemistry or any other topic that doesn't interest you?"

"I'm just not smart enough for chemistry."

"No, you're lazy. You want things handed to you on a silver platter, and I'm not the guy who's going to roll over and give it to you."

"My parents are going to kill me." He uttered under this breath, finally taking the exam from Mr. Stark's hand; the ugly red thirty-nine stood out as a testament of his failure for all could see.

There was no way his father wouldn't kill him. He was the most disposable out of the family, after all. Thor had exceeded everyone's expectations by winning a prestigious football scholarship to a well renowned university; and was now a sports reporter on one of the local TV stations with plans to marry his college sweetheart Sif. And Loki had also gotten a scholarship too but for academics to an Ivy League school; having started a career in publishing only several months beforehand.

Even Loki's scummy boyfriend couldn't rile up their dad; who'd practically busted a gasket when Loki had come out at fifteen years old. Baldur was too young to remember the details; but he knew Loki had been sent to some sort of boarding school in Europe to straighten him out for a year. Thor had made the joke that had only made him that much gayer.

"Tell your parents I want to speak to them by the end of the week. And well if you won't take the honorable route – I'll have to call them myself; which will probably make it worse on you." Mr. Stark stood from his chair, oozing with authority.

Mr. Stark normally wasn't that type of teacher either. But Baldur figured that alongside being a laid back and straightforward guy; he was also the type that didn't take any bullshit. He was a paradox of sorts and seemed to have taken a shining to Loki when he was still in high school. Then again what teacher didn't love brainy and snarky Loki?

"You should probably have them call me tomorrow." Mr. Stark added on cruelly. "Now scamper off and do whatever you do when you aren't in my class. I'm sure there's a church nearby where you can pray that your parents will take mercy on your soul."

"You haven't met my dad then." Baldur grumbled, climbing to his feet; feebly trying to find a way out of his predicament.

The damage was already done, though. His dad was going to kill him and there was nothing he could do about it; which was a bummer because he really didn't want to die over chemistry of all things. He hated chemistry.


	2. Chapter One :: Making a Deal with the Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was pretty astounded by the number of positive reviews I'd gotten about this story. So I was inspired to finish up the first chapter; so I hope you enjoy it! And comments are always welcomed and appreciated! :)

* * *

 

**Chapter One :: Making a Deal with the Devil**

 

* * *

 

By no means was it unexpected to have a run-in with golden sons one and two, at any hour of the day. They still possessed keys to the family home, and frequently dropped by to raid the refrigerator whenever the urge hit them. Baldur was hardly fazed to catch both his brothers in the gourmet kitchen; opening and closing cupboards, and stacking food products onto the island in the center of the room.

He watched the ritual for several moments; annoyed by the fact neither of his brothers had taken the adult route and ventured towards a grocery store, instead of pillaging his food supply. They both had enough money to do so, and yet they chose to be leeches; leeches that were in the midst of a pickle jar exchange currently.

"Have you heard of a place called a super market before?" He asked, finally venturing into the kitchen as Thor popped the lid off the pickle jar with one mighty turn.

"You mean the place you'll inevitably be working at for the rest of your life?" Loki greeted, as he dipped his fingers into the jar and fished out a pickle chip.

"So I can work alongside your douchebag of a boyfriend?" He returned. "Then again, I'll probably be bossing his ass around."

Loki shot him a lethal look; one Baldur frequently got for saying anything untoward about his boyfriend. Of course, if anyone even considered questioning Loki's life choices; they were bound to receive a haughty look for their troubles. Even their mother had been gifted with one, whenever she chose to question Loki's half-sleeve of tattoos; that was hardly covered by his black oxford that was pushed up to his elbows.

Baldur thought his tattoos were stupid too. But nothing could be stupider than Fandral, who'd been latched onto Loki for close to three years now. He couldn't say precisely why he hated the guy, aside from the fact that he just rubbed him the wrong way. No one else felt the same way, though.

"Stop being a pain in the ass, Baldur." Thor said, after he'd taken his fair share of pickles, and was now moving onto a box of cheddar crackers.

"You guys are in my house. I can act any way I want."

"How old are you again?"

"Sixteen; why do you want to know?"

"Too young to beat his ass, Loki; we'll give him a good eighteenth birthday surprise, though."

"Don't you have some dumb sport to report about on TV?" Baldur threw his backpack unceremoniously onto the kitchen table, snatching up a bag of potato chips; before they could be devoured by his brothers. "And shouldn't you be bailing out your boyfriend from the clink?"

"Did someone have a bad day at school?" Loki sneered almost knowingly.

It was a well-known fact that Baldur barely squeaked by in his studies. Both his parents had been exasperated by his inability to mimic his brothers' achievements; although, since he'd been in high school, his lack of enthusiasm towards learning had become more and more of a problem. He just hadn't downright flunked a class before like he was with chemistry now.

He grumbled out an incoherent _fuck you_ , as he ripped open the bag of chips. Of course, Loki would be observant enough to put two and two together; the bastard was always quick on the uptake, unlike Thor who was jamming different food items into his mouth without any prejudice, and scrolling through his smart phone absentmindedly.

"Pray tell, Baldur; what has gotten you in such a sour mood?" Loki smirked in his infuriating way; which had gotten him punched more than once in the face in the past. "Has academia finally gotten the better of you?"

"Why don't you ask your boyfriend Mr. Stark?" He shot out venomously.

"Oh, Mr. Stark; now I am intrigued!"

"You would be; anything with a dick is fair game to you."

"Why am I even surprised by this revelation?" Loki clucked his tongue, before licking his fingers clean from the residual pickle juice on them. "You always suffered the most in math and science; and Mr. Stark isn't the sort to handle failure gracefully. In fact from what I remember, he was impatient to a fault."

It was true to an extent that Mr. Stark was impatient; but it had only been recently that he'd gotten truly fed up with Baldur. That latest exam had been the straw that broke the camel's back; which would lead to his inevitable demise, once his parents got wind of it. And they were going to hear about it one way another, unless he found an alternative route.

He already went over all accessible options, and none of them were particularly stellar. Lying to his parents was out of the question, alongside simply not telling them about Mr. Stark's request to see them. Mr. Stark said he would personally call them himself, if he decided not to inform them properly. So the only true option was to face the music and get his ass handed to him.

"I'm out of here." Thor suddenly announced, still stuffing food into his mouth. "I have to pick Sif up from the airport. So be good and try not to kill each other; especially you, Baldur. Since you'll never win an argument against Loki,"

"Fandral can by jamming his-"

"Shut up, baby brother." Thor pinched his cheek in a horribly demeaning way; only to round on Loki and practically suck off his face in their weird brotherly embrace they had going on between them.

Thor and Loki were by far closer than Baldur was to either of them. They were only a year apart, whereas he was ten years younger than Loki and eleven years younger than Thor. He had been a mistake as the two bastards eloquently put it; and they loved to point it out until they were both blue in the face.

Once Thor finally disengaged himself from Loki's person; he made a beeline for the kitchen door that led out onto the driveway, where his shiny new sports car was parked, next to Loki's beaten up jeep; and Baldur's even uglier Saab that had been passed down to him from those two idiots. It had been Thor and Loki's starter car and might as well have been taken to the dump at this point. But it still beat the hell out of taking the bus.

"So, Mr. Stark," Loki began once they were alone. "He's failing you, isn't he?"

"He's failing me." He confirmed, knowing it was futile to lie to the king of liars. "And he wants to talk to Mom and Dad."

"He'll kill you, you know."

"No wonder why they sent you to the Ivy League school. Your powers of deduction are uncanny."

"The fact you know the words deduction and uncanny are surprising to say the least." Loki reached for the discarded pickle jar lid, and placed it back onto the top. "Of course, Father is going to be furious with you; especially if he has to deal with Mr. Stark. And Mr. Stark is anything but delicate in his approach; he either loves you or hates you."

"You're telling me." Baldur huffed. "I couldn't get on his good side, even if I got on my knees. Oh god, don't tell me you did that; because he's practically has a hard-on for you. I thought he was going to come in his pants when he found out I was your brother. You know, before he realized I'm worthless."

Loki brightened up in a way that was terribly disturbing. It was hard to tell if it was a ploy to creep somebody out, or if he was dredging up memories from the past that undoubtedly backed up Baldur's worst fears. Then again, Mr. Stark hadn't shown any sort of predilection for homosexuality; several students had claimed he was in a relationship with some hot redhead that they'd seen him with around town.

"What on earth will you do?"

"Kill myself, probably."

"Good plan; at least your death will be painless." Loki continued to smile in that disconcerting way of his; which made Baldur more and more uncomfortable.

Mr. Stark had been enthusiastic in the beginning in the year, when he had found out Baldur was Loki's younger brother. But so had an innumerable amount of his teachers; they had been well acquainted with the Odinson brothers, and had expected Baldur to carry on their legacy. And boy did they end up disappointed, once they realized lightning didn't strike three times.

Suddenly an idea sprung up in his mind; one that followed closely to his train of thought. He hadn't thought he could employ anyone to help him out of his mess. Mr. Stark wouldn't want to hear anything from anyone aside from his parents; unless, of course it was from one of his star pupils from several years ago.

If he had been that enthusiastic about learning of Baldur's relation to Loki; he'd probably do backflips if he managed to sit down with Loki again. And he could always technically lie that his parents were out of town, which was why Loki was filling in for them. It wasn't that farfetched, considering how frequently his parents visited Europe for both business and pleasure; it might actually work.

"Loki, my favorite brother in the entire universe," Baldur dropped his bag of chips to the island; opening his arms as if he was about to embrace him like Thor did.

"I already don't like the sound of this."

"Can you please talk to Mr. Stark for me? He likes you; I bet he'll be happy to see you again too!"

"Do you think I just have all the time in the world to fix your problems?" Loki narrowed his eyes. "Besides, what would I have to gain from helping you?"

"Forming an unbreakable bond with your younger brother?"

"So I would gain nothing. I'd just be wasting my time."

"Loki, please!" Baldur slapped his hands together as if in prayer. "Dad is going to kill me! Have a heart for once!"

Several terse moments of silence passed between them. Loki leveled him with a critical stare; one that spelled of ill-intent, and probably inevitable rejection. They weren't exactly buddy-buddy, and the truth of the matter was that Loki wouldn't gain anything from helping him out. Aside from the knowledge he had done something to help another human being; and for someone like Loki that only detracted from his way of life.

"If I agree to this, you'll have to do something for me. Something so appalling, you'll eventually regret it." Loki uttered slowly, almost sinisterly.

"Name your price!"

"You will have to say something nice about Fandral. But not only will you have to say something nice about him; but you'll have to do so to his face."

"You want me to say something nice to that dickhead?!"

"I guess Father will finally get to meet Mr. Stark after all this time. It'll be a spectacular meeting of minds."

"Okay, okay!" Baldur conceded. "The next time I see your boyfriend, I'll say something sickeningly nice to him! Maybe I'll even say two nice things in a row to him!"

There was a sick sort of satisfaction on Loki's face; as if he was merely bidding his time to get Baldur to do something as degrading as compliment Fandral. Their rows were something of legend; Baldur always found a way to insult Fandral, who in turn called him expletives whenever his parents were out of the room. And then there were the times, when Loki was forced into the middle; having to choose between his younger brother and his boyfriend.

Suffice to say, even if Loki hated his guts at times; he always chose Baldur in the end. And that only led to Baldur being verbally abused for days on end, since that decision ended up costing Loki any peace of mind.

"When do I have to be there exactly?"

"Tomorrow after school; that way he won't decide to call up Mom and Dad."

"It's been years since I've seen, Mr. Stark. I hope age has only improved his dashing good looks." Loki looked thoughtful, before making his way to the kitchen door like Thor before him. "I suggest you clean up this mess, before Mother comes home. You can be completely thoughtless about tidiness, Baldur."

"What?" Baldur gazed at the many food things still out on the island.

"See you tomorrow after school." Loki called out, slipping out the door much to his chagrin.

"Asshole," he grumbled helplessly; although he couldn't deny the relief he felt for employing Loki's help in his problem. Even if it did mean cleaning up the mess he left behind; and worse yet complimenting that bastard Fandral too.

He would have to think long and hard on how he was going to pull that off, though. And he suspected he really just made a deal with the devil.


	3. Chapter Two :: Tony's Frustration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really needed a distraction from real life, and so that's why I'm (again) updating. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

 

**Chapter Two :: Tony's Frustration**

 

* * *

 

Tony was frustrated; beyond frustrated, really. Almost thirteen years of teaching would do that to anyone; but he'd been particularly distressed by his newest batch of students. Most of which hadn't any enthusiasm for academics at all, and spent much of their time toying with their cell phones; if they even decided to show up to class at all.

It was a different generation nowadays and he was too old to appreciate their quirks. If anything, he started to resent the hell out of them more and more; which in turn, led him to question why in the hell he continued to teach in the first place. He didn't need to; he had plenty of job offers elsewhere, but hadn't taken the plunge for whatever reason. Maybe because he was just too damned lazy to update his resume and start over again at forty-three years old.

"I'm floundering, Rhodey." He groaned around the frothy beer in his chilled mug. "I don't even know why I'm putting myself through this hell. Because that's exactly what it is – it's fucking hell on earth."

His best friend only shot him a semi-sympathetic look over his own mug. Maybe due to the fact that Rhodey knew what true hell was and that was smack-dab during wartime in Iraq and Afghanistan respectively. Teenagers, in comparison, were probably a walk in the park in comparison. Of course, if one hadn't spent thirteen years of their life with the ever-changing youth of America; well, it was hard to contest just how horrible they really were.

"You could always transfer to a laboratory somewhere. I heard Dr. Banner is in need of a lab assistant." Rhodey offered. "But that would mean you wouldn't be the one in charge. And I know how much that burns your ass."

"Why else do you think I stay in teaching? I get to rule the masses and I get to make them miserable on top of that. You know I'm a sadist at heart."

"Touché,"

"But there is one little bastard that is really starting to test my patience," he grumbled; already dreading the inevitable parent-teacher conference he had tomorrow. And just to add insult to injury, it was on a Friday afternoon too.

Baldur Odinson had shown his proclivity for laziness almost since day one. The Odinson name was fairly well known amongst the staff; many of whom taught Thor and Loki Odinson. While the former wasn't academically gifted, instead exceeding in athletics; the latter was one of Tony's favorite students he had over the years.

Loki Odinson had been talented; he could have easily been bumped up a grade or two, but for whatever reason his parents chose to let him to stay behind. Maybe so it wouldn't cause any unnecessary aggravation between the two brothers; who seemed close as any two brothers could be. And Tony supposed he inevitably benefited from having Loki in his class anyway.

There was something about Loki's enthusiasm for learning, which had gotten Tony excited about teaching again. He'd gotten disillusioned very early on in his career; but Loki had reminded him why he inevitably went into the field in the first place. He loved science and he wanted his students to love it as much as him; he wanted them to be curious about the world, instead of only caring about who was dating who and what was on Facebook at any given time.

So when he had learned of a younger Odinson being enrolled in his chemistry class; he had been enthused by the opportunity to converse with someone who matched his enthusiasm about science. But sadly, Baldur had taken after Thor instead; the only difference being was that the kid didn't seem to be athletically prone either.

"There are always going to be troublemakers, Tony." Rhodey supplied unhelpfully, as his gaze wandered towards one of the many TV monitors erected throughout the sports bar. "Just be your straightforward self and lay down the law. I know parents can be a pain in the ass, but maybe they'll be receptive to cold hard honesty."

"Then you clearly haven't been a teacher, my friend." He scoffed, as he pushed his mug away. "Parents can be worse than the students; and it's because they bred the little fuckers. They raised them to be pompous and entitled assholes. And they think I shouldn't fail any of their little sweethearts; because that is just downright unfair!"

"You really need to get out of the field, before you end up strangling someone."

"This newest problem child, Baldur Odinson; is the epitome of entitlement. His parents are rich as hell, on the same line as Daddy Stark. So he obviously assumes he doesn't have to earn his grades. Why bother studying or paying attention or even showing up for class? What's the point when mommy and daddy are going to take care of you for the rest of your life?"

"In other words, he is everything that you hate."

"He's exactly everything that I hate." He agreed without any hesitation. "But the difference is, I used to teach his older brother; and this kid was stellar. He was enthusiastic about learning; he aced my class without any trouble whatsoever. The only problem with him had been his weird flirtation thing with me; but I could easily overlook that, since he gave me a science boner."

Rhodey arched an eyebrow in something akin to disbelief. Not many educators could overlook the blatant flirtation from a student; except Tony wasn't like many teachers either. He was willing to deal with innocent flirtation, if it meant having someone who actually showed some sort of interest in science; and who ultimately was brilliant in his own right.

Things hadn't gone beyond a few provocative words, and maybe an inappropriate touch here and there. But nothing that would be deemed criminal anyway; Tony hadn't any interest in Loki, since he was a straight as an arrow.

"So you had a student interested in you, and you didn't even tell me?" Rhodey bit back a laugh. "A male student at that even,"

"Oh, I've had students who'd been inappropriate with me. Loki was different, though. He was sharp as a pin and kept me on my toes. So why would I ruffle any feathers if it was harmless? Not to mention it was like ten years ago."

"So this old student of yours who gave you a science boner, as you eloquently put it; has a brother who is as dumb as a box of rocks?"

"Probably as active as a box of rock; the kid's probably not stupid, but he isn't contesting it either." Tony reached over to grab a handful of beer peanuts. "And now I have to play nice with his parents on a Friday afternoon; when all I want to do is to go home, and lure Pepper over with a bottle of red wine."

"That means you're currently on again?"

"Only hanging on by a string," he admitted forlornly, but only just.

His love life was a mess like many elements of his existence were. The only constant had been his god awful career; he could always count on the majority of his students to ignore homework assignments, to scramble during midterms, and to beg him for leniency whenever they needed extra credit work. But when it came to his love life, it was pretty much in shambles.

He and Pepper had been on and off for too many years to count. They were addicted to one another to an extent; and like any addiction it was essentially bad for them. Tony couldn't count the many times he had made Pepper cry over his insensitivity and how both of them had gone absolutely insane once they found out the other cheated. But it never stopped them from reuniting over and over again.

"Maybe it's time to cut ties." Rhodey eyed him. "But it's you that we're talking about. You don't know when to let go."

"I definitely don't have a track record for being a quitter."

"And that's exactly the reason why you have a propensity for bitching so much."

"Hey, I take offense to that. I don't bitch that much; well, maybe I do. But change isn't my favorite thing in the world. I'm too old to make a complete life altering decision." Tony argued, although he knew his argument was flimsy at best.

It wouldn't hurt to try and get in contact with Banner about that assistant position; although if it retracted from his pay (a whopping high school teacher's earnings) then he would have to pass. And well, he did enjoy the summers off; that was the only consolation for having to deal with those little bastards all year long.

A regular nine to five job probably would end up killing him. Which placed him back into the position he'd been in for the past thirteen years; he really did fear change. Even if it met spending the rest of his days teaching idiots and under achievers for the rest of his life; and maybe getting the rare student who actually had some sort of interest in science.

"That seems pretty bleak to me; your life." Rhodey peered back up at the TV screen; which was in the midst of covering a baseball game.

"Not all of us want the fast paced life you have going on, Rhodey. Even if it's honorable beyond belief," he sighed, looking up at the TV too. "Sometimes I think that I'm just wasting my life. No one gives a shit about physics or chemistry anymore. I stand in front of my classroom day in and day out, and while a good chunk of my students can pass the tests; they aren't absorbing any of it."

"And your hopes were dashed, weren't they? When you thought your star pupil's little brother would be as enthusiastic about learning about chemistry?"

"Disappointment is my default mode." He smiled sardonically, unable to lie about that observation. He had hoped Baldur would be similar to Loki, instead of evolving into the huge pain in the ass he really was.

Tony could deal with kids cutting his class every once in a while. He didn't even care if they failed a class or two, so long as they were at least attempting to learn. Science wasn't everyone's forte, after all. But what he couldn't deal with in any capacity of the word was blatant disregard; nonchalance, will you.

And Baldur Odinson was one of the laziest students he had probably ever taught. Especially if Tony could count how many times he'd shown up to class on two hands. Now that was enough to warrant a suspension; although that only seemed to be a reward for bad behavior in Tony's opinion, and he wanted Baldur to suffer.

"Tell you what; I'll call up Dr. Banner for you. And I'll get the details on what he needs in a lab assistant; for all you know, you might like the position a hell of a lot better than hanging around teenagers all year long." Rhodey smiled at him. "Unless, of course, you're looking for the future Mrs. Stark before she's tarnished by adulthood."

"Hardy har-har," Tony rolled his eyes. "Trust me; I can't marry anyone from this generation. I'd probably end up killing myself before we got down the aisle. But what an awfully cute joke you've made at my expense; the war has hardened you, Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes."

"As much as your time with teenagers has hardened you; and ultimately drove you insane."

"You got me there," he said, before downing the rest of his beer. "And look at the time; I have to go home and play responsible teacher; so I can subject myself to the little angels bitching at me for another day. Thank god it'll be Friday, though."

"Have fun with your parent-teacher conference."

"I simultaneously love and hate you right now, James." He stood, patting the top of Rhodey's head in goodbye. "We should hang out again; I'll call you if Pepper hasn't come around. Because you know, she's probably still fuming at me for not wanting to go to her cousin's wedding with her."

"Goodbye, Tony." Rhodey waved him away. "Don't put off the inevitable; you're a responsible adult now."

"Only barely," he walked away from the bar filled with people, and wound his way through the many occupied tables that took up most of the floor plan.

But any good humor he had, slowly dissipated and was replaced by exasperation again; the same exasperation he had felt while coming across Baldur's abysmal thirty-nine percent. And he could only imagine that his upcoming day would be one hell of a headache too.


	4. Chapter Three :: Blatant Flirtation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was exceptionally fun to write; Loki can very amusing to write for. So I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

* * *

 

**Chapter Three :: Blatant Flirtation**

 

* * *

 

It was hard to tell if this was worth a measly compliment. Loki stubbed his cigarette out into the ashtray, critically peering up at the high school; he hadn't stepped foot in the place for over eight years, and he wasn't exactly gunning for the opportunity to relive his adolescence. High school had been awkward period for him (like so many); which was only made worse by his sexuality.

He'd only spent three years of his educational career at this particular school; since his family had sent him to a Swiss boarding school for a year, in a futile attempt to straighten him out. But it had been futile; if anything it had given him the liberty to experiment with his sexuality without any inhibitions whatsoever.

He climbed out of his battered jeep, pocketing his keys; before he headed towards the building. Students were steadily streaming out of the doors still; some barely sparing him a glance, as they hurried by. Others, on the other hand, were particularly interested in him, and shot him stares as he stepped into the school, that bore into his flesh uncomfortably; which wasn't unusual to be perfectly honest.

People had told him many times before how attractive he was; he'd been pursued quite frequently too. But any game of cat and mouse had ended several years earlier. He was officially in a committed relationship and hadn't any reason to want the unneeded attention from strangers anymore. He and Fandral had stable sort of arrangement, which satisfied his needs both emotionally and sexually; even if his younger brother neglected to see that.

Baldur had made his disapproval known of Fandral very early on. There hadn't been any blatant reason for it either; regardless of how friendly Fandral had been with Baldur, it had only fueled the insults and nasty looks. And that had only caused unnecessary tension between Loki and Fandral; which led to loud arguments and broken objects too.

Loki supposed it was worthwhile in the end, to force Baldur to compliment Fandral; in exchange for him handling this unfortunate parent-teacher conference. At least then maybe there could be some feigned civility between the two of them. And that would make his life so much easier, without having to completely faze Baldur out of his life.

Traversing the fluorescent lightened hallways, Loki found he remembered them well. Only minor renovations had been made to the school; a new coat of sky blue paint ran parallel to accent the white walls, and maybe a new bulletin board or two had been erected; but otherwise there wasn't much different, since he attended classes there. Baldur had even told him the science wing was still located where it had been years ago; and Mr. Stark's classroom hadn't changed either.

So it was hardly a challenge to find his way around; it came almost as second nature. He wound his way through the many corridors, mostly deserted aside from a few students, and a stray member of the janitorial crew. It only took a few minutes for him to find the science wing; where several classroom doors were flung open, smelling of various chemical compounds.

The smells were equally familiar as the floor plan was to him. He had been rather enthusiastic about biology, chemistry, and physics while in high school; although he inevitably chose to focus on an English major with a minor in business. It proved to be helpful, as he entered the publishing industry. But his scientific kick had benefited him as well; it allowed him to get closer to Mr. Stark, after all.

Loki had been terribly flirtatious when he was younger; almost inappropriately so. His haywire hormones had made him far bolder than he even was today; and allowed him to brush up against Mr. Stark and say something that could only be described as sexually based. And Mr. Stark had flirted back; wriggled his eyebrows at him suggestively, and touched his lower back from time to time too.

It had been harmless flirtation; the sort that fueled fantasy after fantasy and wet dreams galore. The last two years of his high school career had solely been focused on Mr. Stark; even if he had known then nothing would ever transpire between them. He wasn't stupid, after all. He had known Mr. Stark was straight and involved with some redheaded woman; but it didn't hurt anyone to fantasize either.

As he drew closer to the classroom he had known very well; Baldur shot out from the door, looking both flustered and annoyed. Baldur's annoyance seemed to grow by a tenfold, as he noticed him meandering casually up the hallway; leading him to practically barrel into him. Thankfully, he drew up short or they both would have ended up sprawled out on the tiled floor.

"Mr. Stark's about to have colossal bitch fit!" Baldur hissed lowly, as if Mr. Stark was lurking behind him. "You're twenty minutes late! And what the hell are you wearing? This is a parent-teacher conference, not some S & M party your boyfriend takes you to!"

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with the way I'm dressed." Loki scowled, peering down at his attire.

Instead of dressing in his normal business wear; Loki opted to wear something far more casual. He wore a pair of black jeans, a nice pair of wing-tipped boots, a black V-neck tee-shirt, and his well-loved leather jacket. It was perfectly acceptable, and he highly doubted Mr. Stark would judge him on his apparel; considering their meeting was about how miserably Baldur was failing chemistry.

"Give me that raggedy old jacket!" Baldur demanded, which made Loki's lip twitch in annoyance.

Rather than create an unnecessary scene; he shouldered off his jacket and threw it directly in his younger brother's face. He hadn't any problem with forfeiting his jacket; merely because of what it would inevitably reveal and send Baldur on another hysterical fit. And the reaction came like clock work; mean and angry, and all the negative things Baldur spouted whenever faced with his half-sleeve of tattoos.

"Oh no; _hell_ no,"

"Mr. Stark is waiting for us; tick-tock, baby brother." Loki started down the hallway again; taking long strides that Baldur couldn't, since he was half a foot shorter than him.

"So you're going to show him your ugly ass tattoos? I bet he'll be totally impressed that you're stupid enough to take your name to heart!" Baldur sped after him. "Mr. Stark, you remember my asshole brother Loki; he decided to permanently draw on his body with shit from Norse mythology. Yeah, I know my parents have a stupid kink of naming their kids after it. But Loki took it to a whole other level!"

Loki bit the inside of his cheek, so he couldn't respond to younger brother's complaints. For whatever reason, which was as mysterious as Baldur's dislike of Fandral; Baldur had an issue with his tattoos. He and their mother was in the same school of thought; they both found his half-sleeve, a colorful mural of Norse mythology (specifically Loki based), to be distasteful.

Their mother particularly hated Fenrir whom the sleeve had been built around. Loki had only meant to get one tattoo at the time; but the tattoo artist had done such an amazing job and mentioned expanding on it, that it was too good to pass up. So he had added Jörmungandr and Hel, and a variety of other elements to his left arm; all of which turned out exceedingly beautiful, in his opinion.

Before Baldur could explode with another rant; Loki stepped into the semi-dark classroom whose walls were covered with a slew of posters. He peered around the corner and caught sight of Mr. Stark; who was hurriedly jotting down instructions on the whiteboard. From his posture, Loki could tell he was tense and utterly frustrated by what could only be perceived as his tardiness.

"Mr. Stark," Baldur called out, shoving past Loki into the classroom; all the while still cradling his leather jacket. "My parents couldn't make it; they're in the Netherlands right now on-"

"What did you say, Odinson?" Mr. Stark whipped around, clenching his jaw.

"My parents are gone, but my brother's here instead!"

"Your brother, why would I want to talk to your brother?"

"Because Mr. Stark, I fully understand your curriculum and might very well agree that my younger brother is positively worthless." Loki stepped further into the classroom; pleased by the stunned expression on Mr. Stark's face that slowly dissipated into a flirtatious little smirk.

"Loki Odinson, well you've certainly grown up." Mr. Stark abandoned the whiteboard, reaching out his hand to take Loki's in a firm handshake. "Nice ink by the way; I never thought my star pupil was so rebellious."

"Or stupid," Baldur muttered under his breath, much to Loki's chagrin.

"Well, why don't we get this little chit-chat over with then. Since you are the family representative, apparently." Mr. Stark released his hand, before motioning towards the solitary chair in front of his desk; a desk Loki had oftentimes fantasized about being bent over and fucked into incoherency on.

Truth be told, he wouldn't mind making that fantasy into a reality now. Mr. Stark had only gotten better with age and he couldn't help but admire him from head to toe. If only Baldur would magically disappear then maybe he might pursue that train of thought; even if it meant single-handedly destroying his relationship with Fandral. Especially since it was a once in a lifetime sort of opportunity.

Except he wouldn't do that, despite his base instincts wanting nothing more than present himself to his former teacher; and beg for something that had haunted his dreams for years. He was a responsible adult, who could see the value in his relationship with Fandral over his need to be fucked senseless by Mr. Stark.

Loki took up the chair in front of Mr. Stark's desk, while Baldur slid into his assigned seat somewhere in the back of the classroom; apparently, Mr. Stark wanted an audience. And that knowledge only awoken Loki's untamed libido; since he wondered if Mr. Stark also liked an audience during more intimate settings as well.

"Your brother, well he's something else to say the least." Mr. Stark began, as he lowered himself into his chair. "He isn't exactly what we would call motivated; in fact, he's the exact opposite. Bluntly put he's lazy,"

"I would say that's an accurate description of him." Loki smiled slowly, seductively even.

"I'd say he's been absent close to seventy-five percent of the time." Mr. Stark continued, ducking his head to hide an amused grin; but Loki could see it, which only caused him to smile wider. "So it doesn't come as any surprise that he's failing; failing miserably might I add."

"So for the other twenty-five percent of the time – what is he actually doing in your class?"

"Oh you know; playing on his cell phone, playing grab ass with his fellow students – the usual."

"A game of grab ass never hurt anyone, Mr. Stark." Loki purred, unable to stop himself from leaning in to meet his former teacher's eyes.

There was a moment of hushed silence between them, and for a split-second Loki was pretty sure he crossed a line. Because the smile slipped from Mr. Stark's mouth, leaving behind an unreadable mask; one that must have been perfected after years of building his defenses against pain in the ass students, and well that only made Loki second guess himself further.

Suddenly Mr. Stark leaned conspiratorially towards him; there wasn't any telltale sign of his emotions still, though. He was a blank canvas and that always bothered Loki the most about him; he couldn't read him as well as he could read everyone else.

"No one gets to play grab ass in my class," Mr. Stark almost whispered out the sentiment. "No one but me anyway,"

Relief slowly flooded through Loki; particularly because that impish grin reappeared on Mr. Stark's face. But more than anything else, his sense of boldness had only increased by that statement.

"Is that an invitation Mr. Stark? Because I imagine that'll be much more fun than talking about my brother; don't you agree?"

"How scandalous of you; no wonder you've always been one of my favorite students."

"Oh?" Loki arched an eyebrow, leaning further in until there was very little distance between them. "I wasn't your favorite overall? Well, I think I can remedy that given the proper…incentive."

"I think you're all talk and no action, Odinson."

"Then allow me to prove you wrong with all due respect, Mr. Stark."

"Tony," Mr. Stark grinned predatorily. "Call me, Tony."

"I'll call you whatever you please if only you'll be so kind to make me." Loki zeroed in on Mr. Stark's lips and felt warmth spread through his body.

It was impossible to deny their innocent back and forth, had officially gone up a level. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been that turned on before; although a riding crop and gag suddenly came to mind. He liked when Fandral did terribly kinky stuff to him; but nothing was quite as kinky as having your high school science teacher do them to you instead.

"That can be arranged," Mr. Stark chuckled. "After we discuss your little brother's laziness,"

"Fail him and he can either repeat the course next year or send him to summer school." Loki tilted his head. "There isn't any reason to discuss it; Baldur clearly hasn't even applied himself. And any discussion with me won't change a thing, _Tony_."

"I thought you were here to help your brother not to sabotage him."

"Allow him to earn a partial credit then. I'll assist him with his schoolwork and make sure he turns it in on time. That way once you condemn him to summer school it'll only be for the first month or so instead of the entire two and half months."

"What would I gain from that, though?" Mr. Stark lifted his eyebrows. "You know aside from gaining more work."

Loki considered Mr. Stark's words for several moments, before his face lit up mischievously. Of course, the only person who would gain anything from this entire exchange would be Baldur; and despite Mr. Stark apparent annoyance with his little brother, Loki knew Mr. Stark cared about Baldur's ability to fail or pass his class.

"Access to me, of course," Loki murmured lowly, once he heard Baldur shift impatiently behind him. "And I could make it worth your while."

"Do you have tattoos anywhere else?"

"Oh, I don't know. I think you might have to look for them yourself."

"You have a deal then." Mr. Stark grinned salaciously; although Loki knew it was all talk.

Mr. Stark was a bigger flirt than he was even; the amusement in his eyes was enough to say so. It was just a silly song and dance that garnered positive results for Baldur in the end. And really that's all either party had wanted anyway; they just went about it in an unorthodox way, which only made it that much more interesting.

Both of them stood from their chairs, eyes still locked in understanding. Not many people could keep up with Loki point for point; ultimately he had learned from the best, maybe unintentionally but he had learned everything he knew from his former teacher nonetheless.

"Odinson, we've come to an agreement." Mr. Stark announced, which had Baldur scampering out from his seat and up the aisle to stand beside Loki. "I'll give you a chance at a partial credit. But that means you'll be showing up every single day, unless you're dying – do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir,"

"I'll get you some makeup work, and you have a very good resource at your disposal. Your brother agreed to help you and remind you when to turn things in. However, it'll be your responsibility to get it done and into my hand somehow. That way you'll only have to go to summer school for half the time."

"Okay, that's good; great actually." Baldur nodded, seemingly far more relaxed than he had been beforehand.

"I'll have a packet for you on Monday then." Mr. Stark nodded, before smirking at Loki. "And it was a pleasure to see you again, Loki."

"Oh, the pleasure was all mine, Tony." Loki purred again. "We'll have to do this again sometime. But I'll be sure to leave Baldur at home next time."

The words barely left his lips, before a burst of pain zigzagged up his shin. It took a great deal of self-control not to crumble under the pain, and continue to maintain his pleased expression without grimacing. But he managed to do it so somehow, and even managed to follow Baldur into the hallway once they said their goodbyes to Mr. Stark.

It was only when they were far enough away, that he hissed out an expletive at Baldur; who had chosen to kick him as hard as he could moments earlier. But his little brother was hardly deterred by being called such an ugly name; in fact he only rolled his eyes, as if Loki was a nuisance of some sort.

"I'm surprised you don't have a boner, you bastard." Baldur scoffed. "You're lucky I didn't punch you directly in the face."

"Is that any way to speak to your beloved brother, whom saved you from the wrath of our parents? Because you would be in worse condition had it not been for me."

"Please, I get a shitload of chemistry homework to do; I get to spend more time with you. And oh, did I fail to mention I have to compliment your douchebag boyfriend. So technically I get to hang out with him more if I have to study with you; this'll be great."

"You little ingrate," Loki sneered.

"Please, you got wanking material for the next couple of months. And if that isn't the most disturbing thought on the planet, I don't know what is."

"I suppose you're right. I can imagine all the possibilities of that very large desk Mr. Stark sits behind."

"God, I hate you more than Thor." Baldur almost yelled, before hurrying his steps; as if that would deter Loki from blathering out more inappropriate fantasies to him. But that was only just the beginning and the idiot knew it.


	5. Chapter Four :: Perfectly Heterosexual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how well I like this chapter; it's pretty much just a filler at this point. But we'll see the story move along more so in the upcoming chapter. So I hope you enjoy it anyway.

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**Chapter Four :: Perfectly Heterosexual**

 

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Something funny followed Tony home that afternoon; it was a weird sort of exhilaration that only unearthed itself when he was especially careless. It had happened on occasion, like when he decided to test the speed capacity of his Ferrari that dear 'ol dad had bought him for his birthday; going over a hundred on the freeway while swigging at a bottle of champagne at the same time. It had also happened when he and Pepper joined the mile high club on a very tiny airplane; undoubtedly heard by their fellow passengers, due to the fact that Pepper was an emphatic screamer.

Except nothing of that magnitude had taken place; he hadn't cheated death or been caught in mid-coitus. In fact, that day had been perfectly and mundanely normal. It had been a lazy Friday; where he'd given his students an assignment out of their textbook, rather than prattle on lecturing or taking them to the lab to blow things up. And afterwards, he had tried to murder Baldur Odinson with his eyes; since his parents were annoyingly tardy to their conference.

It had been a normal day until Loki Odinson stepped back into his life. The flirtatious science nerd had turned into some sort of an anomaly. He had always been an attractive kid; Tony wasn't blind to beauty, but he was never swayed by it either (especially when they were underage and male). But Loki had transformed into something else entirely; dark and smoldering and oozing of sexuality.

The guy was a walking aphrodisiac; easily drawing Tony into flirting with him like he'd never flirted with anyone before. It had been fun and exciting and intriguing; and more importantly, it had been nice to banter with someone who could meet him head-on without any hesitation whatsoever.

"You're grinning like an idiot." Pepper glowered at him, pulling him away from his thoughts.

"My life's incredibly fulfilling; I get to teach the upcoming leaders of this great country of ours. I'm really happy that I'll be dead before any of them are old enough to take office." He grinned, before downing half of his glass of red wine.

"You are an optimist at heart, Tony."

"I really am; I was voted most likely to commit suicide in my fifties. Just in case I miss something epic in my forties; and I have a couple of years left in me yet."

"Honestly, if you hate your job so much; why don't you just quit it? You have a solid resume; your master degrees are enough to get you in any laboratory in the country. I'm sure you could even get a job at a university; if you wanted to teach still." She sidled up beside him at the kitchen counter, where he'd been poking at the cheese cubes she'd brought along with her for the occasion. "And I mean you could always go back and reclaim what's rightfully yours."

Tony tensed, a natural reflex to any statement about what was 'rightfully his'; Stark Industries was a billion dollar company that dealt with weaponry and had many government contracts under its belt. And the CEO of the company just so happened to be his dear 'ol dad; the same one he was frequently estranged from depending on the weather.

They were currently on the outs again; mostly because they had had an argument about Tony finally heading the company. It was an ongoing fight; one that he was dead-set on winning one way or another. Even if it meant he had to spend the rest of his life teaching teenagers; and that was pure hell on earth, to say the least.

"Well, I guess twenty more years of teaching won't be _that_ bad." He grumbled, before jamming a cheese cube into his mouth. "So long as I quit giving a shit about if these little bastards pass or not. Because that's where all the aggravation comes from – giving a shit."

"Which would make you one of the better teachers nowadays," Pepper wound an arm around his waist. "Well, are you going to tell me why you were smiling so big a while ago?"

"Side effect of the alcohol,"

"Tony, really; are we going to get off on the wrong foot already?"

"We've been on the wrong foot for years now, Pep. No disrespect." He held up an appeasing hand, while the other set down his wine goblet. "I just had the unexpected surprise of meeting a former student; one that didn't make me want to curl up in the back of my closet and cry."

Pepper's face softened exponentially, which it often did when he discussed how miserable his career was. She knew he had very few students he admired, let alone liked. Most were just a pain in his ass on his way to the lackluster bank; some were more manageable than not. And then there were the rare few, the Lokis of the educational world.

Loki was in an entirely different league than any of his former (and current) students. He made that apparent when he strutted into his classroom with that devil-may-care attitude; and his easy way with words, that had Tony practically eating out of his hand. It was pointless to deny that Tony had been almost enchanted by him.

"And I bet he ended up being a great success too."

"Actually, we didn't really go into detail about his life. He was there to dig his little brother out of a hole; you know same 'ol song and dance. The kid was ditching my class, failing every exam; and so he was smart enough to employ big brother to save him."

"He must be a smart kid, after all."

"Just not in chemistry," Tony lifted his wine glass again, unable to steer his thoughts away from the inevitable; which was, of course, Loki.

It was difficult _not_ to think about him; when something peculiar was stirring inside of him. It wasn't as simple as fascination or enchantment; he wished it was, though. Seeing as the alternative was somewhat disturbing; if not particularly immoral on several different levels.

Flirtation had always been a harmless game for Tony, especially when it came to his students. It never crossed a line that could be deemed inappropriate; although, any sort of flirtation between a person of authority and someone underneath them was easily categorized as inappropriate from the get-go. But a few flirtatious words here and there hadn't been a problem; it was just how he interacted with people, regardless of their age.

It had been the same with Loki; it had been pushed a bit from time to time, since Loki had been very persistent. And yet, it hadn't been that intense beforehand; he'd never gotten any sort of stimulation out of it. He was dead straight, after all; he had had sex with so many women he'd lost count years ago.

So why he'd gotten a sick thrill of imagining nefarious scenarios with Loki was beyond him. Maybe it was due to the fact he'd hit a dry spell of late; or maybe because it had a forbidden sort of aspect about it. Whatever the reason, he couldn't deny his intrigue even if he wanted to. He always had difficulty lying to himself.

"There's that smile again." Pepper pointed out unhelpfully and in a way that made him want to send her away. "You must really be proud of this student of yours."

"I'm not in the mood to talk about work related shit, Pepper." He reached for the wine bottle, and poured a copious amount into his glass. "I don't have a fulfilling job like yours, you know."

Compared to him, Pepper had her life together; the only flaw in her life was her continued association with him. Pepper had been the director of one of the largest art museums in the city for the past six years; which was stellar for her, because she was such an art buff to begin with. So she was one of the lucky few who got to go into work with a bounce in her step; instead of the threat of trying to slit her wrists with the wire that held together a spiral notebook.

Tony walked out of the kitchen, before trekking his way into the living room; and plopping unceremoniously onto the L-shaped couch. Pepper had insisted on keeping the television off; an action that always spelled trouble, mostly because she wanted to talk about the reasons behind their previous hiatus. And the talk seemed like it would commence at any minute now; if her expression was anything to go by.

"If you're not in the mood for that; then we might as well talk about us." She announced, sitting down beside him. "Because you really hurt me the last time we'd spoken."

"How did I hurt you? I just told you I didn't want to go to your cousin's stupid wedding." He eyed her, before taking a healthy drink from his glass.

"And that really hurt me."

"For one, honey; the week before was pure hell at work. We had standardized testing that week; and the state's has been up our asses, wanting us to somehow amp up the kids' scores. And guess the hell what? They wanted the kids' scores higher in math and science; which meant I was trying to cram as much information into their fucking heads, without giving them complete and utter mental breakdowns."

"Oh, so you don't think I have a stressful job?"

"I didn't say that. I said that week was not the best time for me to take off and rub elbows with your family. The same family who doesn't even like me; because I won't gift you with a diamond ring and my seed,"

"And you wonder why they don't like you?" She sniped back. "You won't even go to my cousin's wedding; you won't even swallow your pride and converse with them like they were people!"

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose; already realizing it was much too soon for them to reunite. They were usually spot-on with their reunions; since they'd been playing this game for ages. But sometimes they were so off it wasn't even funny; and this was one of those times.

"Pepper, I don't talk to your family because they don't like me. Every time I'm around them, they always mention how you should have married Aldrich Killian; so yeah, I don't have fuzzy feelings towards them; especially with how you cheated on me with him last time."

"You're going to bring that up again?"

"I'll bring it up again, if we're going to talk about your family. Because it'll explain why I don't want to be around them and their incessant need to point out how great Aldrich fucking Killian is."

"You're unbelievable, Tony." She practically hissed, before springing off the couch cushion. "Might I remind you, you cheated on me with some Russian bartender two days beforehand! And I found you in bed together!"

It took a lot of restraint for Tony not to rise to the bait. He had cheated multiple times on Pepper, and she had cheated on him just as much. They hadn't the ability to maintain a normal relationship; not with one another anyway. And there wasn't any obvious reason behind it either; aside from the fact they were just plain bad for one another.

He gazed up at her wearily; unsurprised that she looked on the verge of a complete meltdown. Things had been going moderately well up until that point too; especially since Tony had had his mind elsewhere and on his building confusion over why he practically got erect over that stupid conversation between him and Loki.

"Well, I'd say we're at an impasse." He finally said.

"No, I think I've made a decision. In fact, I should have listened to my mother years ago about you."

"Oh, here we go again. The mother card; I should have known it would come up again."

"No, Tony; this is it!" Pepper yelled unnecessarily; since he could hear her loud and clear already. "I'm sick of playing this game with you! Clearly the only thing that makes you happy is your own misery! Or some stupid student you had years ago! Because I can hardly get you to crack a smile; but you're smiling like a big idiot over some kid!"

"Hey, he isn't stupid; that's precisely why I'm smiling." He argued feebly.

"I hate you so much sometimes!" Pepper snapped, storming towards the foyer.

"Yeah, well the feeling's mutual, sister!"

"Go to hell!"

"Already there; permanent resident, thank you very much," Tony yelled back, before the front door slammed with a resounding bang.

Deep seated frustration threatened to suffocate him all the sudden; but he knew there wasn't any point on chasing after Pepper and rectifying the situation. Not when it would only evolve into a greater fight with nastier words flung in between them. And if things were meant to end that way; well, it was probably a long time coming anyway.

It was an unhealthy relationship, to say the least. He had been almost too optimistic to believe that they could make things works, when clearly they were just bad for one another. Not to mention, Tony decided to have some sort of sexual identity crisis for the hell of it at the same time; which probably would end up being a hell of a lot more manageable than trying to fix things between him and Pepper.

"Perfectly heterosexual, Tony Stark," he announced to the room, before rolling his eyes and downing the rest of his wine in one gulp.


	6. Chapter Five :: Casa de Douchebag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this was one of my favorite chapters I've written. Loki is completely inappropriate in every setting, which is just so much fun to write. :)

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**Chapter Five :: Casa de Douchebag**

 

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It had been well over a year since Baldur visited Casa de Douchebag; and he would have preferred to avoid it even longer if had been given the choice to. But the second resident of Casa de Douchebag (or as he kindly liked to refer to him as Grande Supreme Douchebag) had insisted he do his studies there, rather than the relative comfort of their family home.

Baldur wasn't stupid, regardless of his failing grade in chemistry. He knew that Loki wanted him on his territory; so he would essentially be at his mercy, and he hadn't a sound argument to contest this arrangement either. Casa de Douchebag was destined to be his home away from home; until he completed the many packets of chemistry homework he'd gotten from Mr. Stark that afternoon.

Haphazardly, he tossed his textbook onto dining room table; before he eyed the studio apartment from one end to the other. The place had recently gotten a face lift; the floors were a dark polished wood and the walls were exposed brick, although a large glass partition had been erected to separate the bedroom from the rest of the space. And it was probably for the best; Baldur really couldn't stomach the idea of seeing the bed that Grande Supreme Douchebag and his king did the nasty.

"Renovated some, I see." He said, before he collapsed into one of the painful looking chairs at the head of the table. "I thought you two were fucking poor; unless Dad gave you some money so you wouldn't look like you live in an abandoned warehouse anymore."

"For your information, Fandral did all the renovations himself." Loki scowled at him, while setting down a can of soda in front of him.

"So he is actually useful, huh? Maybe that'll be my compliment to him."

"I think you'll have to try a little harder than that, dearest brother."

"That is a great compliment; I mean I thought he just dug holes in the ground, and sat around with his fellow asshole construction workers and catcalled." He retorted snidely.

As to be expected, Loki shot him a venomous look; one that seemed permanently etched on his face nowadays. Then again, Baldur had a lot to do with that; especially if he could help it. He loathed Fandral, after all; but for whatever reason his stupid brother continued to stay with him, despite the telltale signs of what a bastard he really was.

Outwardly, Fandral appeared to be a great guy. He probably could charm the pants off of anyone; similarly to how easy it was for Loki to sway someone with words. And that would probably explain why they'd been attracted to one another in the first place; since Loki needed someone who could match him point for point or he had a tendency to get bored.

Baldur had almost been fooled into liking Fandral too; that was until he found out what a colossal scumbag he really was. But he knew better than to tell Loki anything about it; mostly because Loki would accuse him of being intentionally spiteful for the hell of it. So he never told him how he saw Fandral practically jamming his tongue down some girl's throat; when he'd come by Casa de Douchebag unannounced.

"Give me that." Loki demanded suddenly, yanking his chemistry book away alongside one of the homework packets. "I have exactly two hours to help you; afterwards, you'll be on your own."

"But I wanted to stay here forever!"

"I want to suck Mr. Stark's cock, but sometimes we don't get what we want in life."

"Jesus Christ, could you not bring me into your deviant sexual fantasies? He is my teacher still! I do have to see him tomorrow and almost every day after that!"

"Oh, you lucky boy, you," Loki flipped open the textbook, before referring to the packet. "Tell him I said hello."

"Oh yeah, let me tell him like that. Because that won't be creepy at all using, a come hither, voice. That'll totally get me a full credit." Baldur glowered at his brother; annoyed by the fact that only made Loki smirk in that infuriating way of his.

Of course, both Loki and Thor had a tendency to do things to rile him up. They'd been the gruesome twosome for as long as he could remember. They had terrorized him as soon as he could process fear; although, he also knew how to dole it out when need be. He knew both his brothers' weaknesses and they seemed to revolve around their significant others.

Sadly, it was almost impossible to say a bad word about Sif. Baldur liked her quick wit and uncanny ability to put Thor in his place at the drop of a hat. So he'd fallen back on saying how unworthy Thor was to have her; while he already had a treasure trove of insults to toss in Fandral's direction whenever he found an opening.

"Do you even understand the basics? Or will I have to give you a crash course on chemistry?" Loki arched an eyebrow, not bothering to look at him.

"I understand the basics, dammit. Just show me how to do the first few problems; I'll be good after that. I'm a quick learner, when I want to be."

"For your sake, I hope you decide to be today."

"Hurry up; I want to end my misery sooner than later." Baldur watched as Loki began to jot down on the space provided underneath the first question; without even having to reference the textbook at all.

It was a further reminder how inept he was compared to Loki; but he was quick to remind himself that Loki's ability to learn was not in the same gene pool as his. Wherever their parents had found Loki was ample with knowledge apparently. As far as he knew, they had made a quick detour to England or Ireland to pick up Loki; he never really cared to ask for details, though.

Several minutes ticked away, before Loki shoved the textbook and packet back at Baldur; giving him the chance to either shine or crash and burn. He suspected Loki was betting on the latter, and maybe he wouldn't be that far from the truth. Especially when he barely pressed the tip of his pencil to paper and heard the door being thrown open.

"Honey, I'm home." Fandral announced loudly; but more annoyingly in a tone that was stupidly sweet and charming, as if he came out of a Disney movie.

Baldur thought he was going to puke; which was only made worse by the goofy smile that lit up Loki's face. It was worse than when Thor was reunited with Sif, who frequently traveled across the country for work. Both his brothers were lovelorn idiots it seemed.

"You came home just in time." Loki stood from the table, moving out of Baldur's line of sight. "My least favorite brother has chosen to grace us with his presence."

"I have impeccable timing as always." Fandral paused for way too long; which compelled Baldur to peer over his shoulder to see why, and it was an action he immediately regretted.

Loki and Fandral were attached at the lips; kissing one another as if their lives depended on it. It was like a car crash in the sense, Baldur found it hard to look away; even if the scene was gruesome and bloody and vomit inducing. They looked like they were trying to eat one another's faces off; even though, they saw each other every day for the past three years.

"Get a room!" He blurted out, before turning his gaze back onto his chemistry homework.

"Technically this is one very large room and it does belong to us." Loki purred like an oversexed moron. "And I haven't seen you all day long, darling."

"Despite how appealing that does sound, love. I need to shower and you need to deal with your brother." Fandral replied.

"Listen to the man, he's a genius! I don't give him enough credit that's for damn sure!" Baldur blurted out, struck by a sudden swell of pride that he'd gotten his compliment in at such an opportune time.

Silence soon followed his statement; on further inspection, Baldur was glad to find that Loki and Fandral hadn't fallen into another passionate embrace, but instead were staring at him like he were an alien life form. Loki seemed to be caught in between pleasure and annoyance; probably because the bastard wanted a better compliment than that. Except he'd be damned if he dished out anything more than that to Fandral.

Fandral eyed him warily, before turning to Loki and planting a loud and inappropriate kiss to his lips. Which Baldur had to figure was an attempt to rile him up; and it almost worked, since Loki ran his hand southward to rest on Fandral's belt. Within a split second, they were completely enamored with one another again; ten times worse than they'd ever been before in front of him.

They had a knack for kissing one another at times; but they'd never toed the line of potential groping and awful words that no one's little brother should be subjected to, even if the aforementioned little brother was Baldur. They usually had some common decency; or at least Fandral did, since Loki couldn't even keep his horniness at bay even in a parent-teacher conference.

"He'll be gone very soon, darling." Loki said between kisses. "Once he is, oh I will do unspeakable things to you. So many, unspeakable and deviant things to you,"

"Loki, you aren't helping the situation." Fandral groaned, sounding as if he was trying to wretch himself away from Baldur's horny older brother. "Go over there, so I can shower."

"Only if you promise me one thing,"

"What's that?"

"That you'll eat me out until I scream."

"I hate you so much, Loki!" Baldur bellowed, before slamming his chemistry textbook shut with a loud bang. "You're the worst brother on the whole planet!"

Even as the words left his mouth and he whipped around; Baldur soon realized how stupid he was being. Because the looks on Loki and Fandral's faces were flushed with having to hold back their laughter; they both looked smug as if they had gotten one over on him. And of course, they did; the bastards.

They both burst into a fit laughter; albeit, Fandral was the only one with the good grace to disentangle himself from Loki and make a detour towards the west side of the room, where the bathroom was located and slipped out of sight, despite the ringing chuckles that followed after him. Loki, on the other hand, had the gall to shove Baldur's head until his nose almost touched the cover of his textbook, before plopping down to sit in the seat beside him.

"You are such a raging asshole, you know that?" Baldur snapped angrily; throwing his textbook open to a random page. "Like the biggest asshole that God has ever created. The Devil envies your asshole powers!"

"You flatter me so, little brother." Loki thumbed at the corner of one of his eyes. "But your goal was to compliment my Fandral not me."

"I did compliment him; in fact, I'm thinking about asking Mom and Dad if we can trade you in for him instead. Because you're the shittiest brother ever; shittier than Thor and that's saying a lot."

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me."

"Unless it's Mr. Stark trying to jerk off on your big chemistry-addled brain,"

"I'd let him come on my face if he wanted to."

"See, you are the fucking worst!" Baldur snarled, forcing himself to stare at the packet again; if only to distract himself from the sudden urge to punch Loki right in the face.

Now that he thought about it; maybe being killed by their dad was more preferable than earning a partial credit. Seeing as the only person who could legitimately help him was Loki; and Loki wouldn't even allow him to get a certified chemistry tutor, if it meant not having some blackmail on him. The asshole rather be inconvenienced than vanquish his rights to torturiing him completely; which was typical Loki.

Luckily there wasn't any response forthcoming; and he was actually able to finish the first few problems without too much difficulty. He shoved the paper towards Loki once he was done; glad to note that Loki finally looked serious, instead of like a cackling hyena. But the seriousness on his face slowly began to concern him as well.

"You better perfect your many compliments and accolades for Fandral," Loki lifted his eyes from the packet with annoyance. "Because you and I will be spending far more time with one another than either of us would have liked, little brother. Due to the fact, you are a blathering idiot."

"Suicide sounds way more pleasant."

"At least we agree on something for once."

"I'm fucked, aren't I?" Baldur groaned, dropping his head to the table in defeat; since he knew he'd be stuck at Casa de Douchebag for an undetermined period of time.

"Oh, you most certainly are fucked."


	7. Chapter Six :: Thursday Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony is kind of downtrodden in this chapter and that's due to my own mood. So I apologize for that.
> 
> Aside from that, Tony makes a passing mention to the No Child Left Behind Act; just to summarize it (as best as I can, because I am not an expert by any means); it's a federal law that increases accountability for states, school districts, and schools. Any school that is receiving federal funding has to administrate a standardized test annually to its students; and if the students scores fall below the national average, well there's a good chance the school's federal funding will be cut because of it.

* * *

 

**Chapter Six :: Thursday Night**

 

* * *

 

It was a Thursday night and Tony should have been at home. He shouldn't have agreed to tag along with Happy and Rhodey for a guys' night out. Not when he had a full day of classes the following day; but he'd been in a very bad place recently, and a few drinks seemed like they could potentially remedy the problem. And really would one night out really hurt that much?

The answer was pretty apparent to him. He had learned very early on in his teaching career that he needed exactly eight hours of sleep to function; and his alcohol limit during school nights was two beers. Otherwise, he would be insufferable throughout the following day; which only caused him to send more than his fair share of students directly to the principal's office for minor infractions. But he sorely needed some sort of reprieve after the week he'd already had.

For whatever reason, his classes had been unruly and unfocused; he suspected they were getting antsy for prom season, and the slow approach of summer vacation. So he had his work cut for him; addled with the fact, he was on constant patrol for mobile phones which only made his job that much harder to deal with. Not to mention, how he had gotten into a vehement shouting match with one his female students; whom thought it was her right to do her makeup in his class instead of paying attention to his lecture.

That had been impossibly fun; having to almost drag the girl out of his class and down the hallway to the principal's office. All the while, trying not to finally scream at the top of his lungs that he was resigning; because he really wanted to quit when he was almost elbowed in the eye by the banshee who thought chemistry class was the makeup counter at Bloomingdale's instead.

"Should you really be out? It is a school night." Rhodey asked, spying a look at his wristwatch as if to be certain Tony's presence was a bad idea.

"I shouldn't be, but right now I'm past the point of caring." He admitted, before downing the rest of his beer; his third of the night so far. "Not with the week I've been having. I need this; I couldn't wait another fucking day."

"Public school teacher; get him another beer!" Happy called to the bartender, who looked almost sympathetic. "T, you really need to just quit already. You're in a bad head space, man."

"Of course, I am. Like you said, I work for the public school system; they pay jack shit and then ride your ass when the kids aren't little Einsteins and Hemingways and Hawkings."

"The public school system is broken," Rhodey said around the lip of his bottle. "I can tell – Happy graduated high school somehow."

"Hey, I take offense to that!"

"The public school system isn't broken; it's fucking non-existent at this point." Tony glowered at nothing in particular, taking the beer the bartender offered him. "It's the teachers' fault that we aren't producing geniuses at an alarming rate; but we have bullshit like the _No Child Left Behind_ Act that only hurts the goddamn school more than anything else. Not to mention, today I had to literally manhandle a girl out of my class; I wouldn't be surprised if I got slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit because of it either."

The probability was unfortunately high; Tony knew that parents nowadays would bite at any chance to defend their precious offspring, despite having raised rude and inconsiderate little bastards. Tony had learned that most teachers were solely responsible for the outcome of a child's behavior and academic performance. The administration, the government, and more importantly the parents and the students' themselves were generally blame-free.

It was one of the many frustrations in his field of choice; and even if he wanted to quit, he would still have to wait until the end of the year to do so. He couldn't up and leave in the middle of the year just because he couldn't stomach another day in his classroom with the up and coming leaders of tomorrow.

"You know what you need to keep your mind off of all this dumbass shit?" Happy asked, swiveling on his barstool to face Tony full-on.

"What would be your prescription for a mid-life crisis, Dr. Hogan?"

"Pussy,"

"Why did you even have to ask?" Rhodey all but groaned.

"Come on, James my man!" Happy reached over Tony's back to whack Rhodey on the shoulder playfully. "Tony just needs some pussy and he'll feel a lot better about things. And you know he hasn't gotten anything from Pepper."

"Okay, can we not talk about Pepper? I rather talk about my dead-end job in comparison to her."

"Oh god, you guys are on the outs again? What is this like number two-thousand and fifty-three?"

"Shut up, Hogan." Tony pressed the heel of his hand against one of his eyes; feeling an impending headache start to form.

He really shouldn't have agreed to the night out; not when he briefly went over the itinerary in his head. Happy had decided they would go to their favorite sports bar for a round of drinks, before they headed out to some noisy nightclub down the street; where so many young and beautiful women hung out in packs. And that was only bound to be a pain in the ass, especially if Happy dubbed them as the pussy patrol again; which earned them considerable ire from the women who heard the nickname.

Suffice to say, no one had gotten laid that night; but at least Rhodey had gotten a number and subsequent date several days thereafter. But Happy had been on the receiving end of haughty looks and even a drink to the face; something that Tony liked to bring up more than was absolutely necessary when he wanted to be a dick. Tonight wasn't one of those times, though.

Things were far too complicated and miserable for his liking. In between his horrible time at work and the demise (again) of his relationship with Pepper; he really wasn't game to give Happy a well-deserved ribbing. So he chose instead to quietly finish off his beer, and try not to reflect too much on the many things wrong with his life currently.

"Finish your drinks, gentlemen; we have some prowling to do." Happy announced, before hopping off his barstool. "And the night awaits us; maybe we can get T home just in time for his bedtime."

"My bedtime is right now, you asshole." Tony grumbled as he got to his feet. "Not all of us have the privilege of showing up whenever the feeling arises on a job site like you, Mr. Foreman."

"My guys aren't stupid; they can handle a simple construction job without me being up their asses." Happy defended as he led the way out of the bar and towards semi-busy street outside.

Tony hung back with Rhodey as Happy rambunctiously made his way out into the open. People perhaps twenty years younger than them lined the street; most dressed up for a night out on the town. Perfectly made up women moved around in droves; babbling loudly and unashamedly, while others laughed high-pitched and obnoxiously over something probably that wasn't even that funny.

Maybe if he'd been in any mood for flirting, he would chase one of the many packs down. Then again it was hard to tell how old women were nowadays; and the last thing he needed to do was end up taking a former student to bed. Even if the intrigue was unfortunately there; especially when he thought about his star pupil Loki, who he'd seen the previous week.

Tony had toyed once or twice with the idea of what it would be like in a physical relationship with Loki. The mechanics were undoubtedly the same; but he had a hard time picturing it in his head, and he wasn't about to reference the internet for a how-to about gay sex. So he relied on what he did know, as did his fantasies; which comprised of very sloppy and eager blowjobs, and Loki practically humping his leg for relief.

It had been a very peculiar but kinky fantasy; one that he had gotten off on. But he knew it was something he'd never pursue; mostly because he knew it was a passing fancy of a middle-aged science teacher, who was in the market for something new and exciting. Feelings were clearly not invited to the party either; and what had transpired between him and Loki had been harmless fun.

Neither of them was looking to fulfill their stupid flirtations; they'd simply been trying to liven up an incredibly dull and painful parent-teacher conference. And truth be told, Tony had been amused and enthusiastic about the meeting even days after the fact. Pepper had sensed it; she had seen right through him, and it was a terrifying thought that she might have sensed something more too.

But he forced that thought aside; once they drew nearer to the nightclub whose line had already wrapped around the building. Rhodey made an exasperated noise, something that Tony would have done, if he had the energy to do so. Happy, however, was undeterred by the line; in fact, he led them right up to the front where the bouncer stood dauntingly in front of the open door.

Loud dance music streamed out of the club; the same redundant bass line thrummed over and over again much to the delight of the crowd inside. Tony peered around the bouncer making out the telltale signs of strobe lights in varying colors flashing off and on, which reminded him of his twenties; when all of this would have been incredibly fun instead of downright pathetic.

"Billy, what's up brother?" Happy greeted the bouncer, who actually responded friendly enough; they slapped hands before pulling one another into a one-armed hug. "Do you mind letting me and my friends in? I have one that's down in the dumps; so we're on a mission to cheer his ass up."

"No problem, Hap." Billy the bouncer said with a swoop of his hand. "Don't have too much fun, though."

"I can't make any promises like that." Happy guffawed, before leading Tony and Rhodey into the darkened nightclub; pulsating with activity.

Tony felt his headache that had been developing at the bar, come on full force by the noise level in the club. The sheer amount of noise that filled the room was astonishing; no less the amount of bodies in one place was pretty daunting as well. It had been awhile since he'd been to a nightclub, and now he remembered why.

They worked their way through the crowd at a leisurely pace; Happy by far more enthusiastic than he or Rhodey, who shot him an annoyed look. But neither of them was smart enough to abandon their newest mission, and followed their big dumb leader into the front lines where a large group of women were cackling together.

"I'll be right back; I really need a fucking drink." Tony yelled over the music; uncaring if either Rhodey or Happy heard him, though.

He just needed to get away before Happy said something stupid, and they became culpable for it since they were in his company. So he was quick to wander away and head towards the bar in the corner of the room that was S-shaped and lit up like a Christmas tree. People were packed around the area tightly, all immersed in conversation aside from a lone figure at the farthest end of the bar; who looked as annoyed as he felt.

Despite his best efforts, Tony couldn't stop himself from smiling. It was just his luck that he would find Loki Odinson in an overcrowded nightclub on a Thursday night; not even a week after he last seen him. And he truly was a sight for sore eyes; his former student was wearing skintight leather pants and what could have either been a green or black V-neck tee-shirt, which exposed a good portion of his colorful tattoos that had instantly drew Tony's attention the week before.

Loki held some sort of beer bottle in one hand, while the other grazed the inside of his thigh over and over again; almost in a way that seemed to be some sort of mating signal. And that would very well explained why Tony was almost pushing people out of the way to meet him; even if it was ill-advised and stupid of Tony, he really couldn't help himself not with the image of Loki humping himself into completion against his leg was still fresh in his mind.

Before he knew it, Tony sidled up beside Loki; who didn't even grace him with a look. His gaze was elsewhere, somewhere in the fluctuating crowd; which wouldn't do at all. Tony leaned inward, violating his former student's personal space and was struck by how good he smelled; a mixture of cologne and cigarette smoke and leather.

"So this is what Tony Stark's star pupil does nowadays." He said in a louder decibel than he would have preferred to use; all the while trying to stifle his smile at the jolt Loki made out of surprise.

"Mr. Stark,"

"I told you last week – it's Tony. I'm only Mr. Stark in the classroom or between the sheets."

"Then let me reiterate myself, _Mr. Stark_." Loki peered at him with a wicked glint in his eyes. "What on earth are you doing in a nightclub on a school night?"

"Well, I guess like anyone who's at a nightclub on a week night. Maybe I've come for some ass." Tony couldn't control himself; he should have but the words left him, before sound thought could dictate his better judgment.

It was hard to regret being impulsive, though; especially when Loki graced him with a smoldering look that was by far more erotic than what his fantasies had conjured up. Something ignited in Tony; something that didn't have any right to, and all he wanted to was to take Loki home with him right there and then.

"Oh, I'm sure there are plenty of eligible women here to suit your needs." Loki almost purred; leaning inward until his mouth was dangerously close to the curve of Tony's ear. "It's exactly why I hate straight clubs; since all I truly want is a cock shoved in my mouth."

Tony swallowed hard, realizing that the harmless banter had been picked up another notch. It had been safe in the classroom with Baldur close-by. But in a dark nightclub with loud music and nefarious intentions all around them; well, it was only inevitable things would amp up. And now he had unequivocal proof that it wasn't just a game – Loki might very well be gay and hungry.

"Too bad it couldn't be yours, Mr. Stark." Loki really did purr this time. "I've been practicing with you in mind for eight long years."

Before Tony could even begin to process that sentiment; Loki drew away from him, and slid effortlessly into the tangle of people on the dance floor. Tony whipped around, feebly trying to keep an eye on Loki; but he all but disappeared into the crowd in a matter of seconds.

"No one talks to Tony Stark that way and gets away with it." He swallowed hard again, before forcing his way into the crowd; determined to see how serious his former student really was about his proposition.


	8. Chapter Seven :: Upping the Ante

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went without internet for several hours at work (and well why would I work?); so I ended up writing this chapter fairly quickly. And well, I think some of you will enjoy it, especially if you liked the flirtation between Tony and Loki beforehand (but I think I might need to take a shower). ;)
> 
> Comments are always welcomed (and appreciated) by the way!
> 
> I also imagined the song "Figure 8" by Ellie Goulding playing during much of this scene, specifically the conversation between Tony and Loki. It's really worth a listen; it's an excellent song!

* * *

 

**Chapter Seven :: Upping the Ante**

* * *

Straight clubs had a tendency to put Loki on edge. Regardless of the many he'd been dragged to by Thor's insistence over several years; he still wasn't any more comfortable in them. But his comfort was irrelevant; this wasn't about him anyway. He was here for Fandral, who hardly asked him for anything. So it was only fair that he sacrifice one evening for him; even if he preferred to roll around in barbed wire instead.

One evening per month wasn't that much to ask for. In fact, Loki realized how very lucky he truly was; Fandral wanted him to be there, to see what he was up to. He didn't want any secrets between them; didn't want any hurt feelings to develop either. Loki ultimately always knew who Fandral took to bed, and had even been given the opportunity to reject women whom he found himself uncomfortable with.

It was a system that worked for them. Fandral satisfied his need for a feminine touch, and Loki didn't have to worry about being unjustly cheated on. They had a functional agreement, where both parties were inevitably happy. Even if Loki found he sometimes was succumbed by the green-eyed monster more than once; specifically when a raven-haired woman with wickedly exaggerated curves clung to Fandral like a second skin.

Fandral had a knack for raven-haired women with fair skin, though. He had once said it was a bit of a homage to Loki himself; but he hadn't taken it as a compliment at all. Rather he found himself incensed by the fact that he couldn't be enough for his fairly straight boyfriend; which he always found to be problematic, especially now.

Loki had been in a foul mood most of the night and hadn't been up for prowling the crowd for Fandral's type. So he had haughtily abandoned the search, choosing to stay at the bar; leaving his boyfriend to chase after whomever he saw fit. But Loki would have been damned if he allowed Fandral to leave the club without consulting him first.

It was probably the only reason, why he had eventually submerged himself into the crowd once more. Then again, he did have an unexpected meeting with his former teacher Tony Stark again. Whom he might have vulgarly exclaimed how he was in need of a cock in his mouth, which had leapt over the lines of decency, if not entirely shattered them; but he was a bit tipsy and maybe horny (but when wasn't he horny?).

He knew when to abandon ship, though; so he had slipped away when the time was right. Knowing full well that his boldness would go unappreciated by his former teacher; who was painfully heterosexual, and he already had enough trouble with straight guys to last him a lifetime. He didn't need to add an emotionally scarred teacher to the list too.

So he delved further and further into the crowd; searching blindly for Fandral, who had found a group of women that caught his eye earlier in the evening. Loki just hoped he was smart enough not to do anything without his okay; even though, Fandral had already realized what a terrible mood Loki was in from the get-go.

"Is that anyway to say goodbye?" Someone said into his ear; loud enough to be heard over the constant pulse of the dance music and the loud wails of the dance floor's occupants. "I'm sure your parents taught you better than that, Odinson."

Loki tensed for a few moments, only to turn around to see Mr. Stark; who had invaded any personal space that he might have had. But his hands remained limply by his sides; in no way trying to reach out and touch Loki, which was probably for the best. He was tipsy and horny and frustrated, after all.

"I didn't want to interfere in your hunt for ass, as you put it." He called back, before taking a drink from his beer bottle.

"I don't know about that," Mr. Stark suddenly grinned, leaning further inward. "The search might already be over; if you catch my drift."

"I don't fuck straight guys."

"Do you let straight guys fuck you is the question?"

"You're playing a dangerous game here, _Tony_." Loki lowered his voice; feeling a surge of arousal by how dark Mr. Stark's eyes had turned.

There was no doubt about it; Loki had been enamored with his former science teacher for years. He had lewd and lascivious fantasies about him; many of which had surged back to the forefront of his mind after the parent-teacher conference. And he made it a point to vocalize his attraction for Mr. Stark as much as humanly possible in front of Baldur; which had served its purpose of annoying his little brother to death.

But it essentially was all just a game in the end; Mr. Stark was a huge flirt, who probably had a few drinks himself. So he was simply pushing the envelope for fun; unaware of what he was potentially getting himself into. Which was inevitably a hell of a lot of trouble; because Loki never held anything back and he wasn't about to do so to accommodate to his straight cock tease of a teacher.

"You know what, Loki?" Mr. Stark rested his hand against his hip without prompting, speaking directly into his ear. "I'm the type of guy who likes danger. So if it means letting you suck me off; or making you take it hard and fast from me, well I'm game. So the ball's in your court now."

Loki couldn't help but shudder; even though the proposition was spoken so coolly, he found that his whole body was on fire. A familiar ache settled between his legs, and he wanted nothing more than to find out exactly what Mr. Stark would do with him if they were alone. He needed to be sure this wasn't some sort of trick; that Mr. Stark wasn't toying with him for fun.

"Tell me something, Tony." He breathed into his ear. "What would you do with me, if I went home with you tonight?"

"Truthfully,"

"Every lewd detail,"

"Well," Mr. Stark placed his other hand on the small of his back; drawing him closer. "I'd peel these skintight pants off of you; probably get a quick crash course on cock sucking, and see how well I do. But more importantly than that, I'd want to play with this instead."

The words barely left his former teacher's mouth, before Loki felt two strong hands traveling towards his ass and giving it a demanding squeeze. Loki couldn't help but gasp; jutting his hips forward to press into Mr. Stark's awaiting body. It was impossible to deny that this was more than harmless flirtation now; not when Mr. Stark was kneading his ass with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"I'm not an expert in this, but I think I can figure out just what would make you scream." Mr. Stark continued in a gravelly voice. "I kind of like the idea of you climbing on my cock and riding me into the mattress; I don't know if you would be interested in that or not."

"Are you thick?" Loki couldn't help but ask, throwing any coyness aside; although he'd never been coy even when he should be. Not where sex and dirty talk was involved especially.

Mr. Stark made a strangled noise in the back of his throat; finally letting go of his ass, in order to drag his hands along his back, all the while pushing his tee-shirt up to touch bare skin. Loki wrapped his free arm around Mr. Stark's neck; bringing them closer together until they were practically plastered against one another.

"Do you like thick cock?"

"Thick and girthy; I want to be stretched open."

"You're in luck, babe. I'm right up your alley then." Mr. Stark growled, pushing his groin against his thigh; he was already hard. "I'll fuck your ass until you're loose and sloppy and begging for more."

"Call me that again – babe." Loki almost panted, feeling his fingers twitch against the cool glass of his beer bottle.

"Babe, I'm going to bend you over and fuck you over and over again. Would you like that?"

"Does that mean I'm your favorite student now?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely," Mr. Stark laughed out, before tilting his head up so their noses barely brushed one another's.

Loki felt heady, almost high by being that close to him. Regardless of his many wild fantasies; he never believed that he would ever be in any sort position like this with his former teacher. Not with one who was notoriously straight either; things like that only happened in badly made pornography. And yet, here he was plastered against Mr. Stark; feeling the strain in his trousers, and the hardness of Mr. Stark's erection against his thigh.

Reaching upward, Loki tugged on Mr. Stark's hair; forcing his head back in order to stare into his darkened eyes. There was an undeniable lust in those eyes; something Loki had always wanted to see, and he knew the same could be said about his eyes too. He wanted this; wanted it more than he could even imagine.

"I'm going home with you tonight, Tony. And I expect you to fuck me with your thick, hard cock until I can't even walk for a week. Do you understand me?" He cooed against his lips. "I want you to make me feel every inch of it when you push in and out of me; in and out, in and out, in and out."

"Jesus Christ, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"Oh, no; this mouth is only for your pleasure. When I lick and suck you; kiss every inch of your body. And when I lick the cum from the tip of your cock,"

"Son of a bitch,"

"You're going to do things you'd never imagined doing before, Tony. And you're going to do them to me and for me; until I'm sobbing and begging for you to take me more times than I can count."

"I'll make you beg for it." Mr. Stark groaned, digging his nails into the exposed skin of his back. "I won't even let you touch yourself; because the only way you're getting off is from my dick. Do you understand that, babe?"

Every inch of Loki's body broke out in goose bumps. He gritted his teeth together, in order to keep any unsightly noises to himself. He was close to dropping to his knees right then and there, and taking Mr. Stark into his mouth in front of everyone. But he could wait; even if it felt like pure torture.

"Stay here; I'll be right back." He let out a shuddering breath, slowly disentangling himself from Mr. Stark. "I need to tell my ride I'm going somewhere. Unless you want me to follow you,"

"No, I'll drive; we'll go back to my place."

"Okay, good." Loki nodded, before he shakily moved into a random direction in order to find Fandral.

It took some time to steady himself as he traversed the club; seeing as his whole body was weak with anticipation. He felt lightheaded too; almost intoxicated by what he knew was yet to come. If they performed only half of the things they had spoken about, well Loki would consider it a success, even if he only got to suck off Mr. Stark; that would be good enough for him.

He wound his way further into the crowd; becoming almost desperate to find Fandral. To the point where he almost cried out in relief, once he found him in a dark nook of the club; Fandral had bracketed himself against one of the walls with a dark-haired woman in his company. And Loki found that he really didn't even care about the woman and if she was the one Fandral had chosen for his one nightstand. Not when he had his own one nightstand to handle.

Once he was in close proximity, Loki grazed Fandral's shoulder in a friendly manner; a gesture they had established while out in public. They weren't especially affectionate outside of their home; mostly because very few people knew that Fandral was even in a relationship with him anyway. But neither of them were enthusiastic to expose themselves to anyone either.

Fandral peered up at him, shooting him an award winning smile; only for it to freeze in place, as if he could sense there was a problem. Loki stepped back, before tilting his head towards an empty corner nearby; and walked away so Fandral could handle the woman accordingly.

Thankfully it was only a matter of moments before Fandral joined him; concern still etched into his features, probably due to the fact that Loki had been incredibly bitchy about the whole situation since they'd left their apartment earlier that evening. He really hadn't wanted to go out, and wait up for Fandral to come back home; whenever all his fun was over. But now things had changed exponentially.

"Honey, is something wrong?" Fandral asked. "You don't like her, do you?"

"Do you have any extra condoms?"

"What?"

"Do you have any extra condoms?" Loki enunciated sarcastically. "I know it might seem like a stretch, but I found someone too."

"You found a guy to go home with in a straight club?"

"I found you in a straight club, didn't I?"

"You only did this once before." Fandral said, almost uncomfortable. "Are you sure about this?"

It was true; Loki had only flexed the terms of their open relationship once beforehand. And it had ended in a disaster; he had chosen an aggressive bastard, who'd roughed him up. They hadn't gotten very far beyond a painful groping; which Loki ended with punching the guy right in the nose, before hightailing it out of there as fast as he could.

"I have a good feeling about this one; don't worry."

"Of course, I'm going to worry; that's inevitable, you know." Fandral sighed, before reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. "Don't you fucking hesitate to call me either; I don't care what the reason is. If the guy's creeping you out or he says something scummy; I want you to call me ASAP and I'll come and get you."

"I wouldn't want to ruin your evening." Loki returned almost bitterly while setting his nearly empty bottle aside, once Fandral handed him a condom.

"Loki, don't be that way; especially right now."

"I'll be fine, darling."

"Tell me what the rules are then."

"I made the rules; I think I should know them religiously by now."

"Loki,"

"Oh, fine." Loki huffed, while putting the condom into his pocket. "Always use protection; once the sex is done, you come directly home. And you cannot exchange telephone numbers or email addresses; this is a one nightstand nothing more. I come home to you, and you come home to me."

"Be careful, honey. I love you."

"I love you, darling." Loki reached out and squeezed his forearm; before he spun around on his heel towards the bustling dance floor once more.

Only a few steps into the tangle of bodies; Loki found himself face-to-face with Mr. Stark, who had the good grace to look embarrassed. It was obvious that he couldn't wait even a few minutes for him; and that was stupidly arousing for some reason. Maybe because his former teacher was just as eager about progressing the evening along as he was.

"I couldn't wait." Mr. Stark admitted.

"You don't have to wait anymore, though." Loki smirked. "I just have to make a quick stop at my car and I am all yours for the night. Naked and spread open only for you, Tony."

"Less talking and more walking," Mr. Stark grabbed him by the hand, enthusiastically dragging him through the crowd. "The visual isn't enough anymore, you know. I need the real deal before I explode."

Loki couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped him, as he was dragged closer and closer to the exit. It was hard not to find the whole situation thrilling and exciting; if not downright amusing. After all, he never would have imagined his former teacher Tony Stark would want to spend the night with him; in the most vile and unspeakable manner known to man.

And Loki liked to think he was far kinkier than even the likes of his very flirtation science teacher could potentially be. He suspected Mr. Stark, no _Tony_ , would be in for a very interesting ride; one that he wouldn't soon forget.


	9. Chapter Eight :: One Nightstand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I pretty much reserved myself to the fact that this sucks. I've worked on and off with it for a while now; and for whatever reason I just couldn't capture the scene very well. I apologize in advanced, and hopefully I can make it up to you in the future.

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**Chapter Eight :: One Nightstand**

 

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Tony couldn't help but stare. Anyone in his position would have done the same; due to the sheer beauty of the sight in front of them. Loki's leather clad ass was on full display, as he leaned across the driver side seat of his car, and rummaged through the glove compartment. Tony didn't know what he was looking for exactly, but he'd pulled his Jaguar XJ (a birthday present to himself via trust fund) to the curb to watch him; which only exacerbated his already painfully hard erection.

One of his hands crept between his thighs, kneading himself through the obstructive denim of his jeans; and enjoyed the sight even more. He knew that he was in for a world full of confusion later on; but at that moment he could hardly care. Not when he had a slight buzz and a very compliant partner at his beck and call.

He couldn't wait to get Loki home with him. He wanted to be educated on every angle of Loki's body; to learn what his sensitive spots were, and what would inevitably make his former student scream out in ecstasy. Every lecherous thought Tony could possibly conjure up – he wanted to perform on Loki, and something told him he was game for it too; which only made his erection twitch in excitement.

Thankfully he hadn't had to wait much longer for Loki to right himself; while closing the door with his hip. A cigarette hung limply from between his lips, as he shouldered on a battered looking leather jacket; before he sauntered over to the Jaguar.

"Son of a bitch," Tony groaned, squeezing his erection tightly; only to remove his hand and replace it back onto the steering wheel once Loki opened the passenger side door.

Loki slid inside and secured the door closed; before shooting him a lusty and hungry look. And that only worsened the situation in his jeans even more; maybe it was due to the alcohol in his system or the fact that fucking a former student was so far beyond taboo. Whatever the reason might be was pretty much inconsequential at that moment; he just knew he wanted it like nothing else before.

"Smoking, it's a filthy habit," Loki removed the unlit cigarette from between his lips. "Kissing isn't mandatory, of course; unless you enjoy the taste of an ashtray."

"Baby, I'd lick the bottom of an ashtray if it even remotely tasted like you." He replied, clicking on the button to lower the passenger side window. "I normally wouldn't let anyone smoke in my car; but I'm going to make an exception just this once."

"And you will be rewarded in spades, Tony." Loki purred out. "I will ride you into the mattress, until your bed breaks."

"Your mouth is as filthy as your smoking habit." He managed to put the Jaguar in drive without too much difficulty; and was pleased that his hand-eye coordination wasn't shot to hell just yet.

The prospect of the ride back to his house was daunting, though. He lived almost twenty minutes away from downtown, which was convenient for commuting to the high school. But wanting to get someone home that you wanted to fuck – well, not so much. Then again, he never really took anyone home with him anymore. Not after Pepper caught him with that bartender named Natalie or Natasha in his bed.

He believed in self-preservation now, especially when it involved Pepper and her throwing very heavy lamps and physic textbooks (teacher editions, no less) at his head. Except this time around, he was pretty certain Pepper wouldn't burst in on him on a Thursday night with some take-out food for a cozy night in. So he hadn't any fear of taking Loki home; to fuck him until every muscle in his body protested and a few choice pieces of furniture were demolished in their wake.

The possibilities were endless; anytime he'd taken a new person to bed, it was always exciting and unpredictable. Loki was a wild card for a variety reasons, though; he was male for one and a former student with the foulest but sexiest mouth on the planet. And well, they both were clearly enthusiastic about the sex that was to come.

Tony heard the click of a lighter, followed by the predictable stench of cigarette smoke. He knew he was going to regret it in the morning, allowing Loki to smoke in his car. It was going to smell awful; although on the other hand, maybe it would just get him hard if things went well between them.

The morning was only a faraway concept at that point. It didn't really matter what it inevitably brought; all he could focus on was the next twenty minutes, and how he was going to survive without colliding into someone else's vehicle. Or losing his mind and pulling over to the side of the road, and having Loki across the hood of the Jaguar.

"I hadn't any idea your salary as a high school science teacher paid so well." Loki piped up once more; sounding so fucking delectable, Tony almost touched himself again.

"It doesn't; I'm a closeted high priced escort."

"I would think you'd be a closeted meth dealer instead."

"Way too predictable; besides you should see my ass. It's pretty out of sight."

"Oh, I intend on seeing it; up close and personal." Loki reached out and slid his fingers along Tony's shoulder. "Tell me something, Tony; have you ever gotten a rim job before?"

Tony tightened his hold on the steering wheel; glad that he hadn't made an embarrassing noise. Alcohol had already lowered his inhibitions, but he didn't need to make a huge fool of himself on that account either. Even if he was probably already dripping and making a mess in his boxer briefs; which were stupidly tight too, since he was a fucking show-off.

"I've been known to get around the block, but none of my conquests were exactly that adventurous."

"Well, I am very adventurous; after all, I've been forced to wait eight years for you. And I refuse to wait any longer; particularly when I have so many fantasies I want to perform on you."

"You've waited eight years for this?"

"Technically longer; I was a junior when we first got to know one another." Loki turned away to blow a plume of smoke out the open window. "I knew I wanted you inside of me on the first day of school; I wanted you to bend me over your desk and fuck my ass so hard I wouldn't ever be able to sit down without remembering that your cock ruined me for anyone else."

"I thought that was just a big game; a harmless and stupid game." Tony swallowed hard, pressing down slowly onto the gas until he was going ten miles above the speed limit; which had everything to do with the fact that this conversation was making him hornier and hornier.

"Maybe to you it was, but I wanted it. I wanted to suck you off, while you were sitting at your desk lecturing. And I wanted you to fuck me up against one of the bathroom stalls; where anyone could have come in and caught us."

"Jesus Christ, do you even know what you're doing to me right now?"

"Oh, I can only hope you are throbbing hard without any restraint whatsoever."

"Yeah, and I'll end up coming if you barely touch me. I can probably come if you just look at me the right way. And I highly doubt that was a part of any of your fantasies."

"I'll be quiet then, even if I need you so badly right now." Loki moaned, probably somewhat exaggeratedly; but that didn't make it any less hot.

Of course, everything about Loki seemed to drip with sexuality. It was a difference between night and day from when he was a teenager; Loki had been beautiful then, but he hadn't been blatantly sexual beforehand. Flirtation was one thing, whereas sexuality was something entirely different.

Tony never had gotten hard from a few cute words; or felt like he was losing a battle with his own body before. At least, he hadn't when he was well into forties and had enough sex to satiate a small army. Teenaged Tony had come in his pants more than once; since he was awkward and impossibly horny (because what teenaged boy wasn't?); but adult Tony had been around the block a few times, and was usually desensitized by things.

But Loki threw him through a loop; and strangely enough it felt good to be that out of control. He'd missed that mixture of anticipation and excitement; considering everything had become so mundane and vanilla of late, especially while being somewhat committed. So he couldn't help but revel in it; enjoy the heady impatience and desire.

It made him reckless too; Tony slowly pressed down onto the gas pedal again, until the Jaguar roared through the mostly desolate streets. He swerved past several cars who had the misfortune of crossing his path; reveling in the abrupt noise of glee that erupted from Loki's mouth. And that only inspired him to speed up, until the city lights became a blur around them.

By the time the city dissipated into orderly neighborhoods; Tony had hit close to ninety-five miles per hour, and didn't slow down at all. The only time his foot eased off the pedal, was when his street came into view; only because he already had a good portion of the neighborly watch up his ass, due in part to a very loud argument with Pepper that happened on his front lawn a few months ago. And he might have been a little tipsy too; but that was all semantics anyway.

His neighborhood was hardly lit and eerily quiet; a curse of the suburbs, really. As much as his profession had become an aggravation, so had his living arrangements; especially since he preferred the bustle of the city and there wasn't any liveliness aside from the kids who liked to play in the middle of the street until ten o'clock at night. But the house was paid for in full, so he hadn't any real reason to complain; even if he wanted to.

"Home sweet home," Tony announced as drove along the street, and pulled into the driveway of his neo-eclectic style house.

It was gray and white two-story house with a two car garage. It was far too big for one person to live in, but Tony had always felt at home in oversized houses with no one in them. He grew up in a mansion, after all; and most of the time he was left to his own devices. So this wasn't very different; except it was on a smaller scale and something he actually bought without Howard's help.

Tony reached for the garage remote, mounted on his sun visor; before clicking the button. The door slowly lifted to reveal his six year old Land Rover; which he used during the day. Just as he was about to put the car back into to drive; a deviant hand suddenly reached out and squeezed his erection through his jeans. A strangled noise escaped him, and his hips bucked impatiently for more.

"Oh, you are ready for me." Loki said huskily.

"Y-You're going to have to stop that; I'm going to wreck my car. And I'm not exactly thrilled with the prospect of destroying my garage either."

"You're no fun, Mr. Stark."

"You say that now, sweetheart. But will you be saying that when your ass is in there with my dick shoved so far up in it, you won't even be able to speak?" Tony peered at Loki, who unhanded him with a spark of desire in his eyes.

"We'll see if you can make me scream."

"You'll scream so loud, the neighbors will think I'm killing you instead of fucking you."

"Hurry up; I need you inside me now." Loki practically snarled; which was a good enough incentive to make Tony drive into the garage.

Once the Jaguar was safely parked, the windows rolled up, and the garage door closed; Tony scrambled out of the driver seat, and threw himself at the door that led into the gourmet kitchen. He didn't have to even look behind him to know Loki was on his heels; he especially didn't need to look behind him by the sudden collision of Loki's body against his.

Within seconds, he was spun around and was attacked by his former student's mouth on his. He couldn't help but moan; keenly aware of the fact that he hadn't kissed Loki until that moment. He didn't know why either, considering the fact that Loki really knew had to kiss. And god, he couldn't resist deepening the kiss and darting his tongue between Loki's lips.

His arms slid around Loki, as they stumbled haphazardly through his darkened room; almost colliding into the kitchen table and the oversized island shortly thereafter. But that didn't deter them at all; Tony rolled his tongue against Loki's, forcing a pleasurable noise out of him. That only increased as he grabbed a handful of his perfectly sculpted ass.

They kissed long and hard; as their tongues worked together, exploring every inch of one another's mouths. It became almost unbearable, since the pleasure Tony was getting from it was rushing to his already pained erection; although the need for air was the only thing that could cease him from kissing Loki at all. Since all he wanted to do was remain attached to him like a leech.

"Bedroom, now," Tony forced himself to pull away eventually; although it pained him to let go of that beautiful ass in exchange for one of Loki's hands.

Tony led the way through the kitchen, past the living room, and finally to the foot of the stairway. He yanked Loki after him; taking the steps two at a time, which proved to be somewhat problematic for him. But the adrenaline in his body helped immensely.

Once they were on the second floor; Tony hurried down the hallway towards his bedroom, which just had to be the farthest room away. He shoved the door open, before turning on his heel, and wrapping his arms around Loki's much taller body again. Their mouths met once more in a collision of teeth, which eventually devolved into a battle between tongues that was wilder and messier than before.

Loki did taste of cigarettes; he also tasted of light beer and something sugary sweet too. But that was a secondary interest; especially when Loki's hands began to trail along his back, and grabbed onto the hem of his tee-shirt and tried to remove it. Which didn't work very well, not when either of them were willing to break the sloppy and uncoordinated kiss they were sharing; at least until the point where they couldn't breathe anymore.

"I want you naked and inside me right now. I need it; I need you." Loki gasped, shouldering off his leather jacket, and letting it fall to the floor. "And I want it hard and fast."

"Oh, you'll get it hard and fast; I'll ride your ass like no one else has." Tony practically ripped off his tee-shirt, before his hands wandered down to his belt to unbuckle it. "You won't even be able to walk when I get done with you."

"You talk a very impressive game, Tony. I wonder if you can live up to it."

"Trust me; I'm not one for bragging, unless I can get the job done, of course." He licked his lips, as he tried to step out of his boots that were regrettably having no part of it.

Loki, on the other hand, stripped himself free of his tee-shirt too and already gotten out of his shoes; and was now working on freeing himself from his leather trousers. Tony would have stared, had he not been desperate to disrobe as well; in order to get up close and personal with his former student. So he sacrificed the view, doubling over to unknot his boots' laces and kick them off once he could.

By the time, he had freed himself of every stitch of clothing; Loki had done as much too, but was inspecting him thoroughly with his eyes. Tony couldn't help but smirk as that invasive stare moved towards his very erect and excited member. He hadn't lied about his assets either; he was a thick six and a half inches, and very talented with his cock as well.

Reaching down between his legs; he grasped his shaft, and trailed his eyes across Loki's exposed body too. His former student was lithe and sinewy, pale and unmarred; except for the mural of brilliantly colored ink on his left arm. He liked what he saw; liked it a lot. Even the swollen erection that was at least an inch or two bigger than his was oddly arousing.

There was just something about Loki that he really couldn't put his finger on. By no means, was he attracted to men; never had a single gay moment in his life. He'd been a notorious pussy hound from an early age; having lost his virginity at twelve, and never stopping to think about the consequences either. And yet, here he was grabbing for Loki desperately and jamming his tongue between his lips again. Loki came willingly along; kissing him back, as their tongues entwined wetly and hungrily.

Eventually they made their way to the bed; a minimalist design that Tony had seen during a trip to Tokyo several years earlier. In fact, the master suite had a very Japanese feel to it; he even purchased a Hiroshi Senju painting that took up much of the farthest wall of the bedroom. He found to be a very interesting talking point, during the awkward moments when his one nightstands began to dress, and hopefully leave without too much of a fuss; which was normally the case, aside from the rare few.

Tony collapsed to the bed by Loki's insistence; only barely getting completely onto the mattress, before Loki followed after him and straddled his hips. His hands shot out, touching as much skin as he could; wanting to map out every part of Loki's body that he could. He slid his fingers along his hipbones that stuck out sharply, his finely defined abdominal muscles, and swell of his biceps.

"Fuck, you are gorgeous." He said breathlessly.

"Despite my need to learn what will really make you tick. I need you to fuck me right now."

"I'm in the same boat; next time, maybe."

"Maybe so," Loki leaned down to kiss him once more; but this time it was languid and measured, in no way hurried despite his words. "Let me get something first."

As quickly as Loki had dominated him; he slid away and crouched down to retrieve something from his discarded leather jacket. Tony felt his cock twitch in appreciation of the sight, and reached down to stroke himself. He was hard as a rock and would be lucky if he lasted beyond a five minute period; which would have been disgraceful if he wasn't buzzed and horny as hell.

Foreplay could wait, though. It would have to, since he was bound to explode if Loki went anywhere near his dick with his mouth. And the mere thought of it was enough to make him buck his hips in the need for friction.

"What do you got there?"

"Lube; I doubt you have any on hand." Loki slunk back onto the bed; practically plastering himself against Tony's body. "Stop touching yourself; I want to rub my cock against yours."

"Aren't you a kinky little bastard?" He huffed out a laugh, unhanding himself; before taking a hold of Loki's hips instead.

"You must have a terribly boring sex life then."

"The exact opposite,"

"You could have fooled me, Mr. Stark." Loki rolled his hips slowly, grinding their erections together in a way that was sinful.

The friction was breathtakingly good; Tony dropped his head against the mattress and groaned deep in his throat. He had been anything but virginal; in fact, he had bedded so many women the number was probably past a hundred by now. And he had been very adventurous in his earlier exploits; the kind of behavior that only reared its ugly head in pornographic videos or fetish websites.

He was anything but meek, when it came to sex. This was different, though; a good kind of different and an exciting kind of different. His cock throbbed minutely with every one of Loki's movements; until they both were moving uncoordinated against one another to heighten the sensation. He held steadfast onto Loki's hips still, while lifting his own, and demanding more without words.

"Never fucked another guy before, have you?" Loki moaned.

"I can figure it out, though." Tony managed to reply, despite his breathing coming out in short gasps.

"We'll see about that." Loki raised himself away from Tony's body; giving Tony just enough leverage to switch their places.

Loki wasn't very heavy, which made it that much easier for Tony to flip him into a more desired position. The noise that Loki made, once he was belly-first on the mattress was stupidly arousing; that Tony had to gather his bearings before he proceeded any further. He ran his hands along Loki's unblemished back; smirking as his former student lifted his ass in expectancy of being touched, and Tony was never one to disappoint.

His hands slid along the swell of Loki's buttocks; a perfectly formed one that almost made him salivate from the sight. Loki was gorgeous; better than any of his half-formed fantasies made him out to be. He moved his fingers along his skin, before giving his ass a good squeeze that made him moan obscenely.

"Are you just going to play with my ass or fuck it?" Loki moaned again, when he squeezed his ass once more; and far more demanding than the first time.

"You want me to fuck your ass then? By your dirty old chemistry teacher,"

"Especially by my dirty old chemistry teacher,"

"You want me to pound it hard, don't you? So hard you won't even be able to get out of my bed in the morning." Tony spanked him playfully; grinning at the yelp that came from his former student's mouth. "You want me to show you who's in charge."

Loki didn't respond verbally; instead he pushed his body backwards in an invitation. And it was an invitation Tony willingly accepted; he couldn't take any more delays, even if he wanted to drive Loki crazy. It wasn't possible when he was achy and need of an explosive release. The sexual tension between them was too great, to play anymore games.

Maneuvering onto his knees, Tony took a hold of Loki by the hips and forced him to reposition himself accordingly. The view was even better than before; Loki's torso was resting fully on the mattress, while his lower body was supported by his knees. His thighs were splayed open too, giving Tony unlimited access to the most intimate parts of him.

"Finger me first; use the lube." Loki craned his neck; peering back at him lustily. "That's your crash course on anal sex; you need to stretch me open, nice and wide to accommodate to your thick cock."

Common sense had already dictated that Tony couldn't blindly plunge into Loki without any preparation. He had had anal sex before; Pepper had let him do it a total of two times. Once on his fortieth birthday and the other time when she had been feeling frisky; and while neither had been disastrous, it really hadn't been that good either.

This, however, held a lot of promise. Tony found the lube and uncapped it, before coating his hand in the substance. He probably had gone overboard with how much he poured onto his palm, but then again he would have wanted a lot of lube on someone's hand if they were putting it anywhere near his ass. His index and middle fingers slid along the crease of Loki's ass; as his other hand slowly pried at one cheek to reveal his opening.

His fingers danced downwards until they were pressed lightly against the ring of muscle. He rubbed at it, reveling in the way Loki's breath hitched; more so even by the sudden roll of his hips. Which seemed to be permission to progress things further; so Tony tested the waters, pressing the tip of his index finger against Loki's hole, and choked back a noise by how easily it gave way.

It was evident that Loki was well-versed in anal sex; if anything, he must have done it recently. Since his finger slipped inside Loki's body without too much resistance; and that made Tony's erection ache. He was mesmerized by how his finger disappeared into Loki, before he slid it back out halfway, and plunged it back in.

"Oh god," Loki gasped, as he arched feline-like into the intimate touch. "Two more; put them in."

"Been a busy little bee, have you?" Tony chuckled, pressing his middle and ring fingers into Loki. "And to think I thought you were saving yourself for me."

"Notoriously heterosexual Tony Stark," Loki keened as all three of his fingers were situated inside of him. "Ah, I would have probably forever been a virgin; if that were the case."

"And yet here we are; with three of my fingers up your ass, prepping you for my dick."

"Shit, not going to last at this rate."

"Well, you're going to have to, because I'm going to fuck you long and hard; without even jerking you off. Do you understand me?" Tony jutted his fingers into Loki, and began to pry them apart to stretch him open; which only caused his former student to practically sob out in pleasure.

Reaching downward with his unoccupied hand, he began to stroke his cock; spreading the pearling pre-cum along his shaft. It was a miracle that he hadn't come already; especially with all the inappropriate talk between them. And it had been awhile since he'd gone to bed with anyone; let alone an exotic looking creature, who was now pressing back into his fingers vigorously.

"That's good; just like that." Tony grunted, hooking his fingers as he pressed them back into Loki; which seemed to do the trick quite nicely.

Loki cried out, almost breaking into spasms by the action. No doubt because he landed a direct hit to his prostate; which he prodded and poked, until he knew he was really tempting fate. He didn't want to get Loki off on his fingers; not when they could get off together from actual sex. So he removed his fingers slowly, one by one; and reached for the lube again.

He slicked up his hand again, and covered his cock from head to shaft. Once he was fully prepped; Tony balanced onto his knees straighter than before, and guided his cock to Loki's swollen opening. He pressed the head against it, sucking in a breath by how the muscles trembled in anticipation against him.

Without any further thought, Tony bucked his hips; gliding into Loki bit by bit. And the feeling was to die for; Loki was tight and hot, even though he had had sex some time not so long ago. Tony reached out and grasped Loki by his bony hips, before fully seating himself inside of him; which felt like heaven on earth.

Expletives spilled out of his mouth in appreciation; as he slowly slid halfway out of Loki, and fucked into him with an unneeded force that jarred Loki's whole body. His former student moaned, which was temporarily cut off as Tony repeated his previous movement; thrusting into his tight heat all the way in, and then removing himself just as quickly.

The pace he established was brutal and unrelenting. He fucked into Loki like his livelihood depended on it; his hands held steadfast against his hips, and reveled in the perfection that had hidden itself inside of Loki. Which was similar but almost alien compared to his many sexual exploits with women; it felt different but inexplicably good. And to think it was a former student that was doing this to him.

"Ah, con-ah!" Loki yelled out; reaching over the edge of the bed to cling to the duvet. "Y-You forgot, ah, oh god; you're so thick!"

"You like that don't you; being fucked by a thick cock." Tony rasped, pounding relentlessly into him; until the sound of skin on skin was audible.

His whole body quivered from the onslaught of pleasure he was feeling; which made it impossible to stop his movements, even if he tried. But he was too far gone to want to; he fucked Loki without pause, even as his body clenched around his cock to the point where he was seeing stars. He knew he wouldn't be able to last very long either; especially when Loki pushed back into him, trying to desperately fuck himself onto Tony's cock.

"Going to make me, ah," Loki pushed backwards just as Tony jutted forward; which ignited a flow of euphoria that was beyond rhyme or reason.

Tony chased after that sensation; losing any semblance of control, as did Loki too. They rutted against one another; filling the room with grunts and moans and half-words of appreciation. Their hips worked together like a well-oiled machine; establishing some kind rhythm for only a few moments, until they were back to pleasure-fury again.

Dragging one of his hands away from Loki's hip; Tony snaked it around his thigh, curling his fingers around the inside. He felt Loki's sac brush against the back of his hand; every time he thrust into him, which made his cock ache more. He was already close; so close that he could feel his balls draw up with the anticipation of his release.

Loki suddenly made a noise of such intense pleasure; he almost lost it then and there. But he held on; fucking erratically into Loki's hole still that had stretched exactly to his girth. And in his lust-addled mind, Tony found the idea that they were somehow made for another to be appealing.

"Mr. Stark, I'm going to come!" Loki sobbed, pushing back into him still. "I'm going to, I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Within a matter of moments, Loki's whole body tensed up; tightly clenching around Tony's cock, as Loki came hard. If it was any indication by how his body arched off the mattress like a man possessed. Which only served to stutter Tony's movements; until he too found himself lost in a wave of pleasure so intense that he hadn't even noticed he fucked into Loki several more times, before he came long and hard inside of him.

"Fuck, oh fuck!" Tony groaned, as he rolled his hips to prolong his orgasm as much as possible; before he eventually slid free of Loki, and collapsed to the mattress in a boneless heap.

His body was slicked in sweat and come, but he was satiated; completely and utterly satiated. He carded one his hands through his hair, before he blindly reached for Loki; who easily readjusted himself until he was draped across Tony's chest like a second skin.

"Remind me again why I didn't fuck you in high school?"

"Something about morale and laws," Loki murmured against his pec, before weakly trying to raise himself up into a seated position.

Tony wasn't having any of it, though. He grabbed Loki by the bicep and pulled him back down to rest against his chest; before wrapping his arms around him, which wasn't exactly his forte. He didn't cuddle and when he brought someone home, he liked when they left without any hassle. So he really didn't know why he wouldn't let Loki go; unless, of course, it was because he wanted a second go around later on. But even then he wasn't about to get it up for a while and he did have school in the morning.

"Hang out for a bit; might get it up faster than I think I can." He managed to say, before a yawn escaped him and contradicted his words.

"Only for a bit then," Loki replied.

The promise teetered haphazardly on the edge of his mind. Tony closed his eyes and felt an odd sort of satisfaction rush through his body. He was sexually satiated and the combination of the beers in his system, made it that much easier to find sleep than it usually was for him. And for the first time in years, he slept without any peculiar nightmares.


	10. Chapter Nine :: Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the lovely comments on the previous chapter; I'm so glad you liked it, even though I didn't really like it myself. But I also hope you enjoy this chapter as well! :)

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**Chapter Nine :: Regret**

 

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Sleep slowly ebbed away from Loki's mind; replaced by a fuzzy and disoriented sense of reality. He felt uncharacteristically comfortable, which was hard to come by when the bed he shared with Fandral should have been outlawed due to how uncomfortable it was. But it did serve its purpose; it had yet to break from their more rigorous activities, and that's all that really counted.

So it was a bit confusing how he felt oddly refreshed. The mattress wasn't lumpy or concaved with that one nasty little spring that liked to dig into his back every night; regardless of how much he tossed and turned. They probably should have turned the mattress a long time ago; unless, of course, Fandral had done it himself earlier in the day.

Blearily Loki opened his eyes, reaching backwards for Fandral, but only finding an empty spot beside him; Fandral did have early mornings, since he was in construction. Generally though, he had a knack for waking Loki up with him; so they could have morning sex and a cup of coffee afterwards.

"Darling," he mumbled, as he rolled onto his back to inspect the digital clock on Fandral's side of the bed.

Only there wasn't any digital clock on the bedside table; in fact, their black sheets were missing too. He was lying in a tangle of white cotton sheets instead; with a fluffy quilted, minimalistic duvet wrapped securely around him. Which was by no means his style, and definitely not Fandral's either.

He didn't know anyone who liked that sort interior design either. Most of his friends leapt in between the gaudiness of the Palace of Versailles and nineties grunge style; which consisted of an innumerable amount of stickers pasted to the walls and stained concrete floors. No one had really embraced the simplicity and elegance of the room he was currently in.

And then it hit him like a freight train. He'd gone home with someone; but not just anyone either. He had gone home with his former chemistry teacher Mr. Stark; and they had fallen into bed with one another. They had had sex; rough and fast sex with very little foreplay involved.

The realization stunned him; more so, that he was still in his former teacher's bed. He had slept over, which was a huge no-no in terms of the rules. He would have skewered Fandral if he had slept over at any woman's house; and he broke the one of the biggest rules only on his second go around.

"Son of a bitch," Loki shoved the duvet and sheets away from his body; before he practically rolled off the bed and onto the floor.

He was still naked and smelled heavily of sex; and by the state of the stickiness on his belly and between his thighs, well he obviously hadn't any time to clean up. Of course, that realization was a bad thing too, a terrible thing; especially the stickiness between his thighs.

They hadn't used a condom; he vaguely remembered trying to say as much, but had become so consumed with other things that he hadn't insisted that Tony dismount and put one on. Worse yet, Tony had come inside of him; he had _come_ inside of him. No one had come inside of him before; he had been sat down by his mother once he'd come out, and she had scared him straight (no pun intended).

She hadn't been under any sort of delusion, that he was chained to his virtue; and she definitely couldn't comfort herself with the idea of him waiting until marriage to have sex, since he couldn't get married anyway. Well, aside from a few choice states; but that was pushing it even. So she had sat him down and hammered in the importance of using protection every single time he had sex, regardless if he was in a committed relationship or not.

She had done her research; which was why Loki hadn't even let Fandral or Bucky come inside of him. He wouldn't even swallow if Fandral came in his mouth; and sometimes he wouldn't even let him come in his mouth either, especially if he had some kind of cut in his mouth. And now he had stupidly let Tony come inside of him, and that was worthy of panic.

Loki scrambled unsteadily around the bed; almost crying out in relief that his clothes had been piled onto the chaise lounge at the foot of the bed. He quickly rummaged through the pile; before grabbing his underwear and pulling them on. Except it proved to be a challenge; mostly because his lower body was achy from the brutal pace Tony had subjected him to the night before.

But he persevered and yanked on all his clothing as fast as he could. He became increasingly more erratic to dress, once he heard the distant sounds of water running; no doubt from the en suite that was a short distance away. And the last thing he wanted was to run into Tony now; he should have been gone five minutes after they had sex, instead of staying over for a slumber party.

Like any hot-blooded young man; Loki had had several one nightstands. He had oftentimes been the one who visited his lover of the night's residence; and he had always been mindful to leave before the afterglow had even ended. Even when he'd been asked to stay; he knew better than to hang around. Maybe it had been out of sheer paranoia or the potential awkwardness that would follow; either way, he didn't want to find out what would happen in the morning.

He didn't have any desire to find out what would happen if Tony saw him still there. So once he was fully clothed; he made a beeline for the door, and trying to ignore the ache in his ass. Which was easier said than done, when he hurried down the hallway; past an innumerable amount of doors.

Tony's house was large, particularly for someone who apparently lived alone. It would have been more suitable for a family of five or more. And while it was hardly as big as the Odinson family home; it was still impressive for someone who worked as a public school teacher.

Loki refused to dawdle, though. He practically barreled towards the stairway, and took the steps three at a time; thanks to his long legs. Once he was on the ground floor; he tried to retrace his steps. His best bet for escape would ultimately be the front door; especially if he didn't want to draw unneeded attention to himself by opening up the garage door.

The layout of the house was typical of most homes; there was large living room, connected to a gourmet kitchen for entertaining purposes. While there was also a formal sitting room that looked pristine and unlived in; behind the stairway was a smaller hallway that was lined with closed doors. But Loki didn't bother with it; instead he passed by the formal sitting room, and was pleased to come across a small foyer that led to the front door.

As he approached the door, Loki observed a security system box mounted on the wall. He peered at it and was relieved to find that system was off; so he didn't hesitate to unlock the door and pull it open into the gray morning light. It looked like it might rain; maybe within the next hour or so, which meant he needed to get as far away as humanly possible.

He shut the door behind him, before reaching into his jacket to extract his mobile phone; and then his pack of cigarettes and a lighter. But he didn't peruse any of the items right away; not when he noticed a very nosy older woman standing in her housecoat and curlers with a watering hose in her hand. She looked positively scandalized by his appearance; and well, the feeling was mutual.

Walking across Tony's freshly clipped lawn; Loki strode down the sidewalk, and ignored the emergence of more and more suburban types from their houses. It was enough to make him sick; especially since he couldn't even stand it when he lived with his parents, next to their snooty neighbors with their Mercedes Benz vehicles and perfectly pressed suits directly out of Milan.

When he made to the end of the street, choosing to turn right out of instinct alone; he tapped onto his phone and pulled up the only person he could trust in a crisis. He pressed the phone to his ear; looking over his shoulder out of paranoia, before he continued down a bend in the road. Several cars bypassed him with curious drivers behind the wheels; but he tried his best to ignore them, and focus on the shrill dial tone in his ear.

"Do you even know what time it is?" Bucky's familiar voice cut in suddenly; sounding both irritable and exasperated.

"I have no clue; I need you, though."

"Then climb onto my dick and ride your way into ecstasy. Just don't fucking call me at seven o'clock in the morning asking for it, Loki."

"I need you to come and pick me up." He hissed into his phone; studying his surroundings closely, although it revealed very little about his exact location. He was in a shitty suburb with orderly rows of houses at every turn. So he must have been in hell.

"Where's prince charming? Shouldn't he be doing menial tasks like that for you? Or are you making him build you kitchen cabinets now?"

"Bucky, listen to me," Loki gritted out, as he walked diagonally across another street. "I need you to pick me up somewhere in the suburbs; I don't know exactly where I am, but I really need your help right now. I can't call Fandral and I rather die than call my mother; so would you kindly help me, please?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end; before a dramatic sigh sounded, followed by what could only be Bucky climbing out of bed. Of course, it was to be expected that Bucky would still be in bed at that hour in the morning; he worked sometimes until one in the morning, and usually didn't actually go to bed until four or five.

"Find someplace to wait for me; I'll call you back when I'm in the car."

"Okay; I'll talk to you then." He ended the call and felt his stomach drop by the many missed calls and text messages that had been collected on his phone.

Fandral had called him over twenty times; messaged him at least twelve, and from his brief glimpse of one of the messages – it wasn't very pretty. Loki stuffed his phone back into his pocket; striding further through the streets, as if he could somehow outrun his guilt. He didn't know what he was going to tell Fandral once he got home; except to beg for forgiveness over his sheer stupidity.

It had been a bad idea to even entertain a night with Tony. It was bound to end up badly; particularly if he had to have another parent-teacher conference with him. Knowing Baldur as he did; the probability of that occurring was fairly high. And that would only lead to further trouble; unless Tony had the decency to pretend like it had never happened.

Loki continued to wind further and further through the many neighborhoods; until he stumbled across a small park with several picnic tables arranged on the outskirts of the many recess toys. He walked towards one of the tables, before seating himself onto the tabletop; and putting a cigarette between his lips and lighting it.

Several more vehicles drove past him in the morning bustle. A bustle he had successfully avoided, since he could work from home. It had been awhile since he'd even been out and about around that early hour. Then again, he and Fandral had been out drinking in Barcelona until six in the morning the year before; but that was a tad bit different from the mundane rush to work or school.

He watched the parade of well-maintained cars pass him by; consumed by a maelstrom of guilt and regret. More than even that, though; Loki found he was completely terrified by what he allowed to transpire out of lust. He'd never been that out of control and stupid before; he had always flexed his self-restraint and always knew when to divert disaster.

He should have known better; should have shoved Tony off of him. Or in the very least, tell him not to come inside of him; and yet there was nothing he could do about it now. Except get tested, and pray that his former teacher wasn't a complete slut.

The minutes ticked away slowly; until his phone went off with a text message from Bucky. He replied quickly in turn, letting him know where he was; which he observed from street signs, and the vague realization that this suburb wasn't too far from the high school. And he hoped that Bucky would find him and effectively calm him down; once he lost all semblance of control, which he was bound to do at any given moment.

As uncharacteristic as it was for Loki to lose himself so completely in pleasure as he had; it was even more unheard of for him to lose his mind in fear. He couldn't even remember the last time he actually felt fear, let alone was consumed by it. So it took several cigarettes, plenty of rehearsed lines in his head on how he would explain the whole situation away to Fandral; and even more reassurances that he was clean, free of any diseases to keep himself somewhat sane.

His train of thoughts kept him occupied for a good portion of time. In fact, he hardly noticed Bucky's beat-up 1988 Mazda B2200 pickup truck had come to a screeching halt against the curb. The pickup boomed loudly from the sheer volume in which Bucky had turned up his CD player. While Bucky himself was in the midst of a drum solo; pounding both hands against the steering wheel. He only stopped when Loki climbed down from the picnic table, and approached the passenger side door in a haste.

Loki popped open the door, assaulted by some sort of heavy metal music; which he would have generally complained about had he been in the mood for it. Since he wasn't; he chose instead just to get into the truck, and hope he could save face without a total breakdown.

"Did you have too much bubbly with mummy and daddy's friends, and end up in the 'burbs?" Bucky reached forward to turn down the music; all the while mimicking his accent that had stayed firmly attached to him, regardless of living in the states for almost seventeen years.

"If you're going to interrogate me, could you at least drive while doing so?"

"I hope you realize I had barely gotten into bed before you called."

"The shop closes at one o'clock,"

"I know when the damn shop closes; but I was working on a sleeve, and I put in a few extra hours to get it finished. It was a big project, you know." Bucky shook his head, before making a dangerous U-turn right in the middle of the street. "I didn't get home until almost three-thirty. Then there wasn't any fucking food in the house, so down to the convenience store for me. So I barely hit the sheets before you were calling for your prince in shining armor."

"I fucked up, Bucky." Loki blurted out not in the mood for banter, while raking his fingers through his hair. "I fucked up really, really bad. Fandral's going to kill me; I want to kill me."

"What the fuck happened to you?" Bucky asked almost fiercely. "Am I going to have to turn around and kick some suburbanite's ass?"

Loki laughed a mirthless laugh; knowing that was how Bucky usually approached unknown situations. Maybe that was why they'd been friends for so many years; best friends and fuck buddies at that for just as long. And as complicated as the open relationship between Loki and Fandral was; somehow Bucky had settled into the arrangement nicely. Except Fandral wasn't in any way threatened by Bucky or vice-versa; things had only gotten messy when Loki decided to pursue complete strangers or former teachers for that matter.

"I finally did it; I bedded someone else."

"Oh god, some closeted bigot; don't tell me he had pictures of his family on the walls."

"Bucky, I need to get to a clinic; I need to get tested."

"You didn't; you fucking didn't!" Bucky suddenly slammed onto the brakes; jarring both of them in their seats, and almost sent Loki head-first into the dashboard. "Loki, what did you do? And please don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me."

"Didn't use a condom," Loki shook his head; looking anywhere but at Bucky.

"Jesus Christ,"

"He came in me too."

"You don't even let your boyfriend come in you!" Bucky yelled, before hitting the gas and shooting haphazardly into the morning traffic. "What the hell were you thinking? You're usually so careful!"

"Can you please stop yelling at me? I already know I'm fucked; I might as well kiss my ass goodbye at this point. But if you can take me to your place, I can change into some spare clothes there; and you can dump me off at the nearest clinic."

"I'm not dumping you anywhere. We'll get you cleaned up and I'm going to take you to a clinic and get the works done on you. But I'm not leaving you anywhere, you bastard."

"I'm an idiot." Loki heaved, as he forced himself to swallow his emotions. "A huge idiot,"

"Hey, it'll be okay. We'll get you tested and everything's going to be all right."

"It only takes one slip-up to get AIDS, you know."

"You don't have AIDS; you're fine, so calm down. Because if you aren't calm, I won't be calm; and the last thing we need are two crazy assholes in a shitty little truck, driving through morning traffic." Bucky glanced at him seriously. "You're going to be okay, Loki. I'm going to make sure of it; trust me."

Loki stared determinedly out the passenger side window; trying to clear his mind of all negative thought. Tony looked clean and Loki liked to think he was responsible enough to say something if he was infected with anything. But then again, he had been a bit tipsy; both of them had been, and god only knew how that would end up costing them.

He took in a deep breath in, while leaning back against the passenger seat; and he really tried to tune out his mother's shrill voice in his head, reciting the many reasons why using protection was essential especially for him. And he really hoped that he hadn't made the biggest mistake of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do realize that sometimes it takes several weeks for a STD test to detect any infection; but for the story's sake I wanted to at least get Loki tested (and maybe make him suffer for a few days waiting for the results). I hope that isn't too farfetched for you guys; but let me know otherwise if I should be more realistic about the situation.


	11. Chapter Ten :: The Stare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter isn't very exciting; so I apologize in advanced. But Baldur needed to be showcased again, and this chapter inevitably furthers the story in some way (which you'll see at the end).

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**Chapter Ten :: The Stare**

 

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It had been the fourth time within the span of twenty minutes. Baldur had been convinced that it had simply been a coincidence for first three times; but on the fourth go around, he knew it was intentional. Mr. Stark was staring at him; intensely staring at him at that. The kind of stare that could burn a hole through your skin if it stayed there way too long; which was puzzling since Baldur hadn't done anything wrong, in fact he had been on his best behavior.

Teachers had a tendency to stare at him like that when he was horsing around. If he either was glued to his cellphone or had zoned out in the middle of lecture; but he hadn't done any such thing and was instead hyper focused on the educational film Mr. Stark had turned on. He had even taken notes; thorough notes that would have rivaled his brainy brother's own.

So why he was being stared at was a mystery; an uncomfortable one at that. Because whenever he made eye contact with Mr. Stark; he would quickly look away, and toy with the collar of his button-up shirt. But his eyes would always come back sooner or later; which was slowly driving Baldur crazy.

He'd been very mindful about showing up for class every day, after the parent-teacher conference. And he had gone to Loki's apartment whenever he could for tutoring; he had even studied himself into the ground, until he had the basics down and was moving towards the more complex lessons.

Then again maybe Mr. Stark was staring because of his diligence; maybe he was stunned by his sudden enthusiasm toward chemistry. Except that felt like a stretch; especially since the reason behind it wasn't a secret. It wasn't like Baldur had discovered some newfound passion for chemistry; he still hated everything about it. But his life depended on partially passing the course, so he found the enthusiasm he needed to earn that credit.

Baldur shifted his gaze from the television to his notebook and then to the front of the classroom; where Mr. Stark had hiked his feet onto the top of his desk comfortably enough. Mr. Stark would have been a prime example of relaxation, had it not been for that stare; which was still pinned onto Baldur without fail.

Worse yet, this time Mr. Stark maintained the stare; instead of looking away and playing it coy. They shared a very long bout of eye contact; although nothing was exactly forthcoming about it. Baldur hadn't been very good at people reading; another retraction of the Odinson gene pool. While Loki, on the other hand, was pretty good at dissecting a person from the inside-out.

Mr. Stark tilted his head to the side, as if he was studying Baldur closely. He narrowed his eyes but soon turned them away at the sound of muffled laughter at the front of the room. Several students had doubled over against their desks, consumed by their own interests; comparably to what the film was trying to teach them.

"Cut it out, guys." Mr. Stark demanded. "You never know, there might be a quiz about this on Monday."

That proved to be the perfect opportunity for Baldur to look away; otherwise, he would have been stuck in the staring match with Mr. Stark for god only knows how long. Since his hardheadedness ultimately wouldn't allow him to look away, even if it made him uncomfortable. And well, he shouldn't have even goaded Mr. Stark on by maintaining eye contact in the first place; despite the fact, he was the one who was staring at him.

If he hadn't feared retribution; Baldur would have asked what was his teacher's problem. Because it was apparent there was one, and he couldn't pinpoint what it could be at all. He jotted down several bits of information absentmindedly; hoping that would distract him from the prickle of being stared at. But it proved to be futile; he was too distracted and spent much of the coming minutes, consumed by paranoia.

He attempted to retrace any missteps he might have made over the past week. He wracked his brain, but always came up short; and it was because he'd been on his best behavior for once. Which made the whole situation that much more frustrating, since he didn't deserve that judgmental stare at all.

Thankfully, his torment was almost over; the film finally came to a close, and Mr. Stark leapt to his feet to turn the fluorescent lights back on. As if by a miraculous happening; the classroom then exploded into loud chatter that they had mostly restrained from beforehand.

"Hopefully, you used your time wisely." Mr. Stark said above the babble, as he moved to shut off the television on its rickety rack. "Like I said, there might be a quiz on Monday."

Groans of displeasure hit the air, although that didn't seem to bother Mr. Stark at all. Of course, he seemed to have a knack when it came to ignoring any and all complaints from his students. He only lost his cool, when things got truly out of hand; like when that girl had supposedly been dragged out of his first period class because she was putting make-up in the middle of one of Mr. Stark's lectures.

"But before I forget, homework,"

"Come on, Mr. Stark!" One of the star athletes of the school bemoaned. "It's Friday!"

"You're right, it is Friday; which makes it the perfect day to assign homework to you. You have two whole days to finish it; lucky you!" Mr. Stark replied in his trademark sarcasm, breaking into an even more sarcastic grin. "Now take out your books and turn to page three-hundred and nine."

More disgruntled noises enveloped the room; Baldur didn't make a sound, though. He already had his textbook at the ready, and flipped to the page Mr. Stark instructed them to do. He wasn't very surprised to find it was the section review, which spanned at least two pages.

It was the equivalent of busy work; Mr. Stark generally bypassed section reviews, and utilized his own lesson plans. They were always receiving some sort of packet that Mr. Stark had thrown together for them; so this was uncharacteristic, maybe as much as the staring was.

"Right, section review," Mr. Stark clasped his hands together, before snapping his fingers soon thereafter. "Pretty straight forward if you ask me; and I expect you to hand it first thing on Monday. And don't even come to me with excuses about the big game or your hot date or how you were fighting the war on terror; or whatever you kids do nowadays in your free time."

"There's like fifty questions," a girl whose name Baldur still didn't know exclaimed.

"Thirty-four to be precise," Mr. Stark sat on the edge of his desk with a shrug. "I think you'll be able to handle it; especially if you paid any attention in class over the past few weeks. If not, I guess you'll have to reread the whole chapter."

"No fair," someone else said.

"Crash course on life – it isn't fair."

"And we still might have a quiz too?" Another student asked.

"Hey, you never know. I guess it'll depend on my mood; you know if you hand in your homework on time." Mr. Stark smiled mirthlessly, before his eyes automatically settled back onto Baldur again.

That stare was undoubtedly justified this time around. Baldur might have picked up some diligence when it came to chemistry; but someone needed to be on top of him (more specifically Loki), when it came to finishing up his schoolwork. And well, Loki had conveniently gone out the night before; practically telling Baldur to fuck off, when he called to ask if he could come over.

Then again that wasn't unusual either. Loki had been cursed with a terrible temper, and it seemed to rear its ugly head frequently enough. Thor had theorized it had something to do with Fandral; or that Loki had the male equivalency of PMS, since it flared up some time every month like clockwork.

Of course, neither he nor Thor would have said that to Loki's face. Loki would probably attempt to brutally kill them, and bury their bodies in a place where no one would find them. Or maybe Loki would only kill Baldur and keep Thor alive; since they were such good friends.

"I expect everyone to hand this in on Monday." Mr. Stark said just as the bell rang to dismiss the class; and sent the class scrambling to their feet. "Don't forget it either. And Odinson I need to talk to you, before you scamper off for the day."

Baldur was midway through shoving his school supplies into his backpack; when he heard those dreaded words. That didn't bode well with him; especially if it meant he screwed up again. Loki would have his head on a pike, if he somehow sullied his reputation. Then again, it was hard to sully someone's reputation that was practically humping Mr. Stark's desk like an animal in heat during a parent-teacher conference.

Inwardly, he cursed himself; as he finished packing everything away. Some of his classmates shot out words of reassurance, while others laughed at what they interpreted as him being in trouble again. He tried to ignore any and all comments about it, and instead waited until the rest of the class filtered out of the room; before approaching Mr. Stark, who was still perched on his desk.

Mr. Stark crossed his arms, turning to eye the two doors behind him; one on either side of the wall where his desk was situated. Once he seemed satisfied that no one was about to burst in and interrupt them; Mr. Stark leveled him with that same unrelenting stare.

"How's it been going with the makeup work?"

"Good; I only have one more page before I'm done with the first packet. I can get it to you on Monday or Tuesday." Baldur replied uncomfortably.

"That's good; almost two weeks ahead of schedule then." Mr. Stark nodded, turning his eyes elsewhere. "I guess your brother is a good influence on you."

Despite himself, Baldur let out a small bark of laughter. He couldn't help it; especially when he thought about his conversation with Loki the previous evening. Loki had been bitchy and irate; exclaiming he hadn't any time to play teacher, that he was going out like anyone his age would. And demanding Baldur keep that knowledge out of their mother's ear; since she worried about his health, and how much rest he was really getting.

Baldur had been compelled to go to their mother, since he'd been angry about the bitchy tirade thrown at him. But he thought better of it; due to the fact Loki had his fate in his hands. So petty revenge had ultimately been set aside; Baldur would have enjoyed to live another day, and he figured Loki would like to live another day without a murder on his non-existent conscience.

"I take it that you two don't get along." Mr. Stark said, shifting ever-so-slightly on his desk; almost nervously even.

"He has a bad attitude." Baldur blurted out; thrilled temporarily by the prospect of airing out Loki's dirty laundry. "He was pretty pissy last night."

What could only be described as a sly smile, passed across Mr. Stark's lips; one that was as confusing as his perpetual staring. Or maybe there was a good reason behind it; maybe Mr. Stark was reliving one of Loki's temper tantrums from ten years ago. Although, Baldur found it hard to believe Loki would display his anger at school; since he had been such a goody two-shoes when it came to academia.

"But he has been helping you with your homework, hasn't he?"

"Well, yeah. He might be a bitch sometimes, but he's cool sometimes too." Baldur returned, only to apologize quickly for using that sort of language in front of his teacher.

"Since you parents seem to be out of the country so much, if I have any questions I'll have to go through your brother." Mr. Stark glossed over his apology completely; except for a downturn of his mouth.

"Yeah, I guess."

"So I'll need his phone number then." Mr. Stark pushed off his desk and rounded it. "Especially if we have to have another conference,"

Baldur swallowed down the protest that wanted to come up. Loki would kill him if he passed along his phone number to anyone. His brother had a weird sense of privacy sometimes, and he really didn't know how he would react if he gave Mr. Stark his number.

He might very well be subjected to a tongue lashing of the century. Which was hardly appealing, mostly because Loki knew how to hurt someone with words; and he knew every sensitive spot on a person too. But Baldur also knew he really didn't have much of a choice; the only thing he could do to stop a possible shit storm from striking was to warn Loki after the fact.

"So what's his number?" Mr. Stark looked at him expectantly; having already fished out his smart phone from his desk drawer, and at the ready to add it to his contact list.

Reluctant as he may be, Baldur reached into his pocket and pulled out his own phone. He tapped on the screen with his thumb and unlocked it; before getting into his contact book, and scrolling through his contacts until he hit pay dirt.

Asshole One and Asshole Two were nestled at the bottom of his list, since if his mother saw them he would be in deep shit; especially if she realized Asshole One and Two were the names for her elder sons. He clicked on the second entry and Loki's contact information appeared.

Baldur recited Loki's number slowly, listening as Mr. Stark repeated one or two numbers to ensure he got it right. Once he was done; he pocketed his phone again and looked at Mr. Stark, who was still staring down at his phone.

"I doubt I'd have to call him for any reasons, but you know precautions."

"Yeah, precautions,"

"Well, I'm sure you have places to be. It is Friday, after all." Mr. Stark finally looked at him again. "So have a good weekend, Odinson."

"You too, Mr. Stark," he said, before he made a hasty exit out of the classroom.

Something was off, that much was apparent. But he really didn't want to know; he figured Mr. Stark wouldn't ring Loki out of the blue for any reason. So he might have time to break the news to Loki in person; which might placate him more than a lousy text message would. And he figured Loki would have a harder time transforming into a violent murderer with his stupid boyfriend practically humping him.

It didn't make the prospect any more pleasant, though. Loki was an asshole with privacy issues, and he was bound to lose his shit; Baldur could feel it already.


	12. Chapter Eleven :: Home Sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how happy I am with this chapter; so I'll let you guys decide. I hope it isn't terrible and you'll forgive me if it is. ;(

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**Chapter Eleven :: Home Sweet Home**

 

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Loki felt filthy and sore; a constant reminder of how he ultimately destroyed his life. That was only made worse by Bucky's blunt and unapologetic commentary about the matter; when he had taken for the shower stall at Bucky's two bedroom apartment, and well no one could accuse Bucky of any sort of decorum. Since he had chosen to watch him shower, perched on the sink with tattoo-centric publication across his thighs; he decided to point out that whomever that Loki had bedded must have been uncharacteristically thick, to make him that noticeably loose and stretched still.

It was meant to be a joke; everything Bucky said was veiled in humor. But it hadn't remedied Loki's panic; which had only grown when they made a stop at the clinic. Bucky had graciously taken several tests himself, in a sign of camaraderie; and yet that hardly made much of a difference either. Nothing would have helped; and most certainly standing outside his apartment door with Bucky by his side hadn't either.

He was scared; terrified even. Fandral's car had been parked in his specified spot, which meant he would have to finally face the music. And he really didn't know what he could say to remedy the situation; if he could even speak at all and try to explain himself.

Of course, there wasn't any explanation; he only had his stupidity to blame. He allowed his former teacher to take him home, and fuck him without any protection; then he let him to come inside of him, and spent the night. There wasn't any way to excuse that sort of behavior; and if Fandral cared about himself at all, he would leave Loki as soon as the words left his mouth.

"It'll be okay." Bucky plucked his keys out of his hand, inserting the right one into the lock. "I'm going to be right here with you; so just breathe."

Loki tried to breathe, but found it difficult to do. His heart was already in his throat; pounding erratically, as if he had run a marathon. But he tried to find some comfort in Bucky's words; despite the fact, he knew that the life he built for himself was about to crumble in around him.

Bucky pushed open the door, revealing the inside of the apartment that hadn't changed at all overnight. It looked like how they left it before going out; the only difference being Fandral, whom had been in mid-pace with his cellphone pressed to his ear. He was still dressed in his work clothes; worn jeans covered in dry wall and an equally unkempt denim button-up.

They stared at one another for what felt like hours; Fandral's eyes widened expressively, as he pulled the phone away from his ear. Before Loki knew it; Fandral stormed towards him, and grabbed him by either side of the face; his cellphone was pressed uncomfortably into his cheek, but he wasn't about to complain. Not when he was face to face with his boyfriend; who looked like he wanted to simultaneously punch him and kiss him.

"Where the _fuck_ have you been?" Fandral hissed out. "I have called you and messaged you all day long! I called Bucky all day long! I even called your brother and your mother!"

"Oops, phone's on silent." Bucky said, although neither Loki nor Fandral paid him much attention.

"Where the _fuck_ were you, Loki," Fandral demanded again. "Do you even know how worried I was? I thought you'd gotten yourself killed by some psychopath!"

Words failed Loki; it might have been a first time for it too. His greatest weapon had always been his words; he could weave lies better than anyone else. And yet he found it impossible to conjure up a lie to tell Fandral. Not when he could be putting him in danger by his stupid decision to have sex without protection.

But he supposed Fandral really wouldn't be put at risk; once he confessed to his stupidity. Fandral wouldn't want to touch him for a second longer, knowing he might be crawling with diseases. Diseases that he wouldn't even know he had for several weeks.

"He was with me." Bucky piped up, as if sensing Loki couldn't possibly string two words together; let alone a series of them to save his life. "I picked him up in suburban hell, when I got out of work around two this morning. He was piss-drunk too; a real fucking mess."

Fandral loosened his grip on Loki's face a fraction; permitting him enough mobility to look sideways at Bucky. They hadn't discussed any cover story; Loki had presumed he would have to tell Fandral the ugly truth from beginning to end. That was the only honorable thing to do; except Bucky had taken the honorable route out of his hands for the better good.

"I haven't seen Loki that drunk since Pride five years ago. But thankfully he hadn't stripped down to his skivvies and had been adopted by a pack of twinks. Now that was a Pride to remember; well, if you could remember a damn thing, you know."

"Did he slip you anything?" Fandral faced Loki once more; intensity so strong in his eyes, it was almost terrifying.

"No, I just drank a lot; too much, clearly." He returned stiffly; somehow managing to sound sincere, even though his throat felt suddenly tight.

While Bucky could vouch for him up to a point; Loki knew the real issue would have to be broached, regardless of the fabrication they told. Fandral deserved to know that he so foolishly hadn't used protection with Tony; it was the only reasonable thing to do. It was the least he could do, after fucking everything up beyond repair.

"Sweetheart, you scared me to death. I barely got through work in one piece; I kept checking my phone, hoping you'd call and let me know you were okay."

"I'm sorry."

"Anything could have happened to you, and after the last time," Fandral shook his head. "I couldn't deal with that, you know."

Guilt consumed every part of Loki then; he hated that feeling too. He was known to be unapologetic, blunt, and a slew of other unflattering things. But he found the strain of fear had taken its toll on him. He was scared about the diseases he might have caught; the potential of something serious, taking away his good health. And then there was the chance that Fandral would leave him; run away from him as fast as his feet could take him.

No one would blame him either; Loki would run too. Despite the fact, he hadn't taken flight when they had a previous scare early on in their relationship. It hadn't been about STDs, though; not really anyway. Some girl had thought she was pregnant, and well that had almost ended their relationship prematurely.

However, it was different now. They had rules, ones that Loki himself had drawn up. They hadn't had any rules back then; they simply had an understanding that their relationship was open, and they could take whomever they wanted to bed. That led to many sticky situations, and the eventual decision that they needed some kind of system in order to make it work; so Loki had set the foundation, and had broken every rule of his own accord.

"I did a bad thing, darling." He whispered out, turning his eyes down; in order not to stare Fandral right in the face when he confessed. "A very terrible and stupid thing,"

"What did you do?" Fandral asked eventually, although uncertainly.

The lump in his throat only seemed to grow further; making it practically impossible to say another word. Because he knew once those words were out of his mouth; things would never be the same again between them. And he had desperately clung onto their relationship like a lifeline; since it had been the only true relationship he'd ever been in.

He had boyfriends before; innumerable ones even. They had come and gone rapidly; some barely spanning the length of a week, while the longest was about two months. He had dated so many different people; tried every flavor, and somehow had gotten attached to a straight guy who he had met because of Bucky's need to help his roommate Steve find a girl.

It had been a chance meeting; they had hit it off right away, but only as friends. That somehow had evolved into playful flirting and consequentially a heavy petting session in the back of Fandral's car. And they had simply allowed fate to take the wheel; until Loki had become horribly dependent on Fandral, and had agreed to something he hated – being polygamous.

"I broke a rule." He swallowed hard, still refusing to look at Fandral.

Fandral's hands slid only a fraction against his face, but Loki noticed his head turn to face Bucky; who hadn't made a move to leave. Loki had to admit he was grateful for that; since Bucky might have very well kept the oncoming storm at bay.

"Barnes leave," Fandral said sharply.

"The kitchen is calling my name." Bucky announced in feigned cheeriness, and walked away before Fandral could protest and tell him to leave the apartment entirely.

It was a rarity for Loki and Fandral to have a disagreement, but when they did it usually involved either Bucky or Baldur. Fandral hated the fact that Bucky had a predilection for imposing on their relationship unnecessarily. It wasn't even about the infrequent sex Loki had with Bucky; but Bucky's knack for weaseling his way into things he didn't have any business being in. And this was a perfect example of it.

Once Bucky had crossed to the kitchen, Fandral caught Loki's eyes with the same rapt intensity that they had from the beginning. Loki never felt so small before; he felt insignificant and childish under that stare, and he wanted nothing more than to yank on his emotionless mask, and snarl at Fandral for overstepping his boundaries. Maybe even defend his actions by bringing up the pregnancy scare; which he never brought up after the fact.

"Okay, you broke a rule; which one exactly?"

"The, I, an important one," he fumbled with his words, before he reached up to hold onto Fandral's forearms; in hopes of keeping cemented in place. "I was drunk, very drunk."

"Bucky said as much, and?"

"I didn't use protection." Loki practically spat the words out; as his whole body tensed up.

Several moments ticked away; tense moments that garnished the results, he had known would inevitably rear their ugly head. Fandral released his grip on Loki's face; although he couldn't get away, since Loki still held steadfast onto his arms. But the fury was apparent in him without Loki even having to spy a look at his face.

"Fandral, please,"

"You didn't use protection?" Fandral repeated, only far louder and angrier. "You didn't use protection? Even though, you came to me and asked for a condom?"

"I know how it sounds, darling. I know." He finally gathered the courage to look back at Fandral's face, which was contorted in rage. "I did something horrible, something unforgivable-"

"Do you even know what you've done?" Fandral suddenly threw his phone to the ground; that was punctuated by a loud crack. "You fucked some stranger who could be crawling with god only knows what! Hell, you might as well have put a gun to your head instead!"

Something feral and desperate overwhelmed Loki then. Because Fandral was vocalizing his own thoughts; he might as well have played a game of Russian roulette, since it probably would have garnered similar results. He had put himself in a horrible situation, and there wasn't any way for him to rectify it. He could only wait for the other shoe to fall within the coming weeks, and see if he was disease addled or not.

He unhanded Fandral's arms, before desperately grabbing onto his shoulders; and held him into place, even though he looked like he wanted to shove him away and leave. Maybe even leave forever; which only inspired Loki to hold onto him tighter.

"I know, darling; I was so stupid, drunk or not." He confessed, trying to hold back any emotions that might unveil how scared he was about the whole situation. "And if I could turn back time; I would. I'd do anything to stop myself from going home with him. I would do anything to have that chance back. But I can't and I could have very well killed myself."

The words tasted bitter on his tongue; but the reality of the matter was bitterer. He could very well end up with something that could kill him. Regardless of the advances in technology; HIV and AIDS was something to fear. Something he had always been terrified of, since his mother had told him the cold hard truth about being young and gay and male.

Loki dropped his head, trying feebly to calm himself down. For whatever reason, it was harder to control himself while faced with Fandral. Something about Fandral had always made him feel too much; want so desperately to keep him by his side, no matter the circumstance. He didn't want to disappoint him in any way; and yet that's precisely what he'd done.

"Goddammit, Loki!" Fandral grabbed for him, and yanked him into a bone-crushing embrace. "You fucking idiot! You stupid fucking idiot,"

"I know!" He cried out, hating himself for being that susceptible to his emotions.

He was only human; a stupid, scared human being. He clung to Fandral, burying his face against his shoulder; while simultaneously trying to keep himself from sobbing like an infant. That was the last thing he wanted to do; even though, he imagined he would feel somewhat better after a good cry nonetheless.

The last time he had cried, really cried, hysterically even; was during Pride five years ago. He had been drunk, drunker than he had ever been before in his life; and he might have cried over something inane as being overlooked by a very popular gay porn star, who'd made an appearance at one of the dance clubs he and Bucky infrequently attended.

"We'll figure something out; we have to." Fandral babbled, although many of his sentiments were lost to Loki; who was still fighting to hold onto some semblance of calm.

The bubble they had built around themselves suddenly burst, though. Not by Bucky who had probably heard every word they had exchanged; but by the sound of a phone going off. It couldn't have possibly been Fandral's; seeing as it was now lying at their feet in ruin, and it wasn't Bucky's either due to the fact there wasn't an obnoxious ringtone to go along with it.

Loki pulled away from Fandral wearily, before pulling his phone free of his pocket. If Fandral had gotten in contact with his mother; he could only presume she would telephone him and be out of her mind with worry. And that was one phone call he couldn't ignore, without having the police on his doorstep.

Peering down at his touch screen, Loki saw a telephone number he didn't know. It was local, though; and for whatever reason he chose to answer it, when he normally would have disregarded it. He sniffed softly, bringing the phone to his ear and listened to the silence on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Oh hey, is this Loki?" The person on the other line asked.

"This is he." He returned slowly; somehow maintaining a level of control over his own voice that he hadn't known he still possessed.

"Awesome," the person said in a voice that prickled some kind of recognition in Loki. "This is, uh, Tony. Or you know, Mr. Stark."

It took some time for Loki's mind to absorb those words; specifically since he knew for a fact, he hadn't passed along his number to anyone the previous evening. Only a handful of people had his number, and he preferred it that way. And he knew that he had only had sex with Tony, and they had fallen asleep soon thereafter. They hadn't chit-chatted and exchanged numbers; that much he was positive of.

His poker face must have fallen due to his surprise; maybe he was even openly gaping stupidly. Whatever he had done caused a furious look to seep onto Fandral's face. No one could ever accuse Fandral of being stupid (except Baldur who was as dense as a rock); Loki couldn't have been with anyone below his intelligence level. So it was fair to say Fandral had drawn to the correct conclusion of the situation already.

He knew, after all, that Loki wasn't privy to give his cellphone number out to anyone. If had been a telemarketer of any sort; he would have already hung up the phone. Loki wouldn't have floundered, wide-eyed and confused if it had been anyone he knew either.

"Uh hello," Tony's voice called into his ear; maybe loud enough for Fandral to hear too, if it was any indication how he drew away from him.

Loki dropped the phone from his face; almost chasing after Fandral, who made a beeline for the table beside the door that held the key bowl. He knew if he let Fandral leave, things might escalate poorly; more so than they already had. For all he knew, Fandral might go out and sleep with several women in retaliation; which would hardly solve the problem.

"Fandral, stop,"

"You have some gall!" Fandral snatched his key from the bowl; eyes ablaze in fury again. "You create these fucking rules to keep me in line; and then you go out and break every single one of them in one night! I don't care how drunk you were; you fucked up, Loki! You fucked up big time and I don't even want to look at your face anymore! I'm literally disgusted by it!"

Fandral's words hit him like a freight train; he almost dropped his phone, but somehow it didn't slip from his limp grip. He could only stare at Fandral; who shoved open the door, further than it had been since neither he or Bucky had bothered to close it. And he watched helplessly as Fandral stormed out; his footsteps echoing through the abandoned hallway, and towards the rickety old elevator.

Something cemented him into place; even though Loki wanted to chase after Fandral and beg for forgiveness. He couldn't move a muscle; stunned by those words, despite knowing things would ultimately end up that way. The false sense of security he'd temporarily gotten from Fandral was gone now; leaving behind the cold hard reality in its stead.

Bucky suddenly reemerged in his peripheral; except he didn't run over to comfort him. Instead his best friend practically kicked the door open further and ran after Fandral; since Loki couldn't bring himself to do it, regardless of wanting to.

The only thing that broke his reverie was a teeny voice coming from his phone. He slowly lifted his phone to his ear, and heard a string of expletives on the other end; some self-deprecating and sarcastic congratulations too.

"Hello," Loki said automatically, bordering on emotionlessly.

"Oh shit, I mean, hey!"

"How did you get this number?"

"Pretty sure we exchanged numbers last night, babe."

"We didn't." Loki returned, suddenly feeling very angry. "I would have known if we did or not! And since it's clear you'll continue to lie to me about how you got my phone number, well I suggest you lose it and never call me again! And while you're at it, you better get yourself tested; because both of us stupidly forgot to use protection last night!"

Without further ado, Loki jammed his finger to the touch screen; effectively ending the call. His hands trembled minutely and he wasn't sure what he felt like doing; maybe he wanted to punch the wall or curl up into a ball and cry. Both seemed plausible outcomes and yet the only thing he found himself doing, was collapsing into the closest armchair and staring across the way at some obnoxious painting Fandral's feminist friend had painted for them as a house warming gift.

He hated that painting and its blatantly bold colors; but he found he couldn't tear his eyes from it anyway. It absorbed some of his frustration and anger; inevitably leaving him empty and numb. Because that was the only way he really could handle his own stupidity. He could only bury it underneath all his defenses, until it inevitably killed him.


	13. Chapter Twelve :: Babe is Better Than Sweetheart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things kind of escalated in this chapter; I wasn't planning for it to happen that way. But oh well; hope you enjoy it.

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**Chapter Twelve :: Babe is Better Than Sweetheart**

 

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Recklessness had always been a Stark family trait. Tony had put his life in jeopardy far too many times to count; mostly by accident. He didn't have a death wish, per se; but he also didn't have a wish to expand his life to a dreary old age either.

So he really couldn't say he was exactly bowled over by the revelation, that he hadn't used a condom with Loki the night before. He hadn't used a condom with a lot of people; and had been tested for every disease in the book. It just so happened he hadn't contracted anything of yet. He couldn't have when his only partner had been Pepper of late, and she always insisted that should they get tested every few months.

Tony's last test had only been three weeks beforehand, and he had been clean as a whistle. Pepper had been equally as clean; so he hadn't any fear when it came from that direction. Truth be told, he hadn't any reason to panic with Loki either; if anything Loki was doing enough panicking for the both of them. Which only meant Loki had to be clean too; because why else would he panic otherwise, unless he thought Tony was diseased addled?

That was the only logical explanation for that venom-spat response to his call. Loki was scared and Tony hadn't done anything to ease that fear. Hell, he hadn't done much of anything, beyond staring at his phone back and forth for hours; and mulling over what would be the right course of action.

It was hard to tell with Loki. They had been hot and heavy the previous evening; sexually consumed with one another, until they finally combusted. But once the morning came, everything had crumbled into pieces. Tony had woken up, wrapped protectively around Loki; clinging to him like a second skin, and he'd been okay with it.

He'd been more than okay with Loki in his bed; slumbering quietly and almost angelically beside him. When he should have been off-put by Loki's decision to spend the night; any other one nightstand would have invoked an antsy and annoyed feeling in him; instead of something that bordered on affection. And he hadn't even bothered to wake Loki and ask him to leave either; he had simply gone about his regular routine as if it was natural to have a former student in his bed.

Admittedly, he'd been surprised once he emerged from the bathroom to find Loki gone. Every trace of him had disappeared; as if he hadn't even been there to begin with. What was worse, though; was that Tony felt a sting of rejection because of it. A feeling he really couldn't explain, since it technically was a one nightstand.

It had been solely about sex; really good sex, mind blowing sex even. But he wasn't only satisfied with one night; he wanted more. He wanted to touch every inch of Loki's body; to lick every inch, and fuck him nice and slow until neither of them could take it anymore.

One night of passion wasn't enough for him; which was why he manipulated Baldur into giving him Loki's number. He knew, in retrospect, that it had been a very bad idea, since he used his position of authority to further his own selfish needs; and yet he didn't feel sorry about it either. Even if his conversation with Loki hadn't gone exactly the way he had planned.

In fact, it had gone the exact opposite of what he had wanted. There hadn't been any dirty talk or an explanation on why Loki had disappeared on him. He had only gotten a lot of background noise, and a very incensed and accusatory Loki on the line.

"Hey, T; do you plan on sitting there all night?" Happy broke his reverie, standing proudly beside the barbecue grill Tony hadn't even used before on the back patio.

For some reason, Tony had agreed to let Happy and Rhodey come over; in order to have a cookout. But he hadn't been of any help in the cooking process, and had remained hunched over his phone since they first arrived.

"Sorry, it's been a long day." He offered half-heartedly, still staring at Loki's number on the screen; although he so wittily dubbed him as _Sweet Cheeks_ on his contact list. And he bet he tasted like heaven too, which only made the whole situation that much more torturous.

"Or maybe you were up too late last night?" Happy chortled, as he turned to face the grill; and flip the steaks he so generously brought along with him.

"Hey, can you not?" Tony lifted his eyes to shoot his friend an annoyed look. "I told you I didn't want to talk about that."

"Touchy,"

"Leave him alone, Happy." Rhodey returned from the kitchen, carrying three bottles of beer; which he distributed between them. "If he doesn't want to talk about it, then he doesn't want to talk about it."

"Jesus Christ, how the way you act with one another; it makes me wonder if you guys aren't an item." Happy rolled his eyes, as he took the beer from Rhodey's hand.

Tony turned his gaze back onto his phone; keeping a cap on his annoyance. He presumed this was how most people reacted to him too; since he and Happy had the uncanny ability to poke and prod at someone like no tomorrow. So he really couldn't be that upset over that kind of teasing; even though, he wasn't up for it currently; especially since he was little depressed by his current predicament.

He would have loved to see Loki again; not in a few days times either. If he had it his way, he would have Loki there instead of Happy and Rhodey. And while he loved his friends like brothers; they really couldn't provide the kind of company he wanted at the moment.

His thumb hovered over Loki's phone number; before he finally gave into the impulse that had followed him for hours now. Except he didn't choose to phone him again; seeing as he had gotten a tongue lashing for his troubles, and he figured a text message would be the quickest and most painless route to go.

Half-listening to the banter between his two friends, Tony turned his phone sideways in order to type out his message easier. Although, he found it took much longer for him to compose a simple text message than it really should have. Since he really hadn't any desire to have Loki respond with a scathing remark in return; so he had to choose his words wisely, and that took him a few minutes to do.

_"It's Tony again; I'm sorry for imposing. But I wanted to let you know I'm clean. I got tested about three weeks ago."_ He reread the message several times, before he clicked the send button; and tried not to worry too much about the reply he would get (if he got a reply at all).

He set his phone face down on the glass-top table, he'd only used a number of times before. Pepper had liked the idea of sitting out on the patio, and enjoying the compact backyard with its barely matured fruit trees. Of course, Pepper was by far more domestic than he ever was; and he assumed much of the backyard furniture and barbecue grill had something to do with the potential of their future kid's birthday parties and play dates with other kids' parents.

"How's the job going?" Rhodey suddenly drew his attention, as he sat beside him at the table.

"Same shit, different day,"

"So I got in touch with Dr. Banner about that lab position. He seemed pretty interested when I mentioned your name; if not downright enthusiastic about you potentially working with him."

"And I bet it hadn't anything to do with the relation between me and dear 'ol dad." Tony reached for his own beer bottle, and twisted it open. "Besides, I couldn't take the job anyway. It's the middle of the school year; and unlike some of my contemporaries, I actually realize leaving my students high and dry like that would be highly detrimental to their ability to learn."

"You really are a teacher, after all." Happy flipped the steaks, while simultaneously chugging a third of his beer.

"Yeah, I kind of figured as much; although I did think I might be in a bad dream, and that I was literally in high school for the past thirteen years." He rolled his eyes, only to pause once his phone vibrated against the table.

As coolly as he could manage, Tony set down his beer bottle and picked up his phone instead. There was a text message from _Sweet Cheeks_ , as his phone so kindly informed him; and he couldn't smother the weird sort of anticipation that threatened to claw its way up his throat. He unlocked his phone and tapped on the message and read it slowly.

_"So you've only slept with me in that period of time?"_

_"I didn't say that; I slept with my legendary redheaded sometimes girlfriend. You know the one you guys obviously liked to talk about in school."_ Tony typed out, before adding on another sentence. _"She got tested too – clean."_

Before he could even set his phone down, and continue his conversation with his friends; another message cropped up onto his screen, which made his heart pound. It was a stupid reaction too; he wasn't a teenaged boy with a crush. He was just a middle-aged man with a hard-on.

_"Aren't you even worried about who I slept with?"_

_"Nope; you're the one freaking out. So I figure you're clean too."_

_"That was dangerous; especially when you…"_ Tony couldn't help but smile down at his phone; seeing as this was a perfect opportunity to either progress things or ruin them in one blow.

_"When I came in your ass? I know; my bad. But I kind of liked it and wouldn't be opposed to doing it again."_

"What are you a sixteen year old girl?" Happy exclaimed loudly. "You've been toying with your phone ever since we've got here."

Tony shot Happy another annoyed look, but knew it wouldn't do any good. He had been latched onto his phone for the better half of the day; and he should be paying some attention to his friends now that his phone had gone quiet again.

Just as he was about to set his phone down, and reflect on how inappropriate and ill-advised it was to send a sexual message to Loki; especially when he was mad, well his phone went off again. And the urge to see Loki's reply was almost too much for him to take. So he clicked on the message and held his breath; preparing himself for the worst.

_"I never EVER let anyone do that before. Why would I let you do it again?"_

_"Why did you let me do it in the first place? Legitimate question, babe."_ He hurriedly typed, before forcing himself to set down his phone.

Rhodey had gotten to his feet again and disappeared into the house; something about a plate to put the steaks on. So that left Tony alone with Happy, who undoubtedly had plenty of things to say about his preoccupation with his phone.

"Must have been a real wild night; you disappeared on us pretty fast." Happy turned off the grill, before prodding at one of the steaks with his tongs. "Didn't even bother with a goodbye,"

"Like you even noticed; Rhodey told me you took some blonde home with you." Tony furrowed his brow; more so when he heard the vibrations from his phone, but he forced himself not to reach for it.

"We didn't even make it to my place, if you know what I mean."

"Everyone knows what you mean." Rhodey provided, carrying one of Tony's new plates that Pepper had insisted he needed for some reason. "And no one cares to hear about the details either."

Despite wanting to remain tuned into his friends' conversation; Tony found he couldn't concentrate with the knowledge that Loki had replied back to him. And god only knew why he was that compelled to read his reply. He really was like one of the teenagers he taught; phone obsessed and starved for some sort of attention.

Slyly he took a hold of his phone again, and peered over at Rhodey and Happy. Happy was blabbing on about his conquest and stacking the steaks onto the plate Rhodey was holding; while Rhodey continued to roll his eyes at the monologue. Neither of them noticed Tony click back onto his phone to read his newest text message.

_"I was horny, that's why. I'm stupid when I'm horny."_

_"I'm feeling kind of stupid right now."_ Tony typed out and sent it; practically giddy when less than ten seconds later he received another reply.

_"That isn't a feeling, that's your default mode. No wonder the public school system is lacking."_

_"Still didn't stop you from becoming a success, did it? And you were pretty eager about last night too; if I remember correctly."_

_"I'm just sore and stretched, thank you Mr. Stark."_ Loki's reply was veiled in sarcasm, but Tony couldn't help but feel a twinge of arousal at the thought.

_"If there isn't any photographic proof, it didn't happen, Odinson."_ Tony returned, before forcing himself to set the phone down for the rest of the evening.

He knew Loki wasn't about to send him a photo, and he probably offended him further by suggesting it. So there really wasn't much to do about it; it was just a stupid fling anyway. It was pretty clear that Loki deemed it the same way, which was just fine.

To be honest, Tony wasn't sure how to interpret what had gone on between him and Loki. He suspected it was probably some sort of mid-life crisis on his part. Some kind of attempt to find something new and exciting; and that seemed to sum up Loki quite perfectly.

Loki had been a conquest of sorts, and while he'd be more than happy to pursue him further; he wasn't about to lose any sleep if he couldn't. Or at least that was he told himself, as he abandoned the table and his phone alike to go back into the house with Rhodey and Happy and pile their plates up with food. And for whole ten minutes, Tony actually managed to keep up with the unsavory details of Happy's one nightstand and Rhodey's more dignified adventures of getting a number and a date out of a woman.

Once they went back outside and huddled around the table with their plates; it became harder to ignore his phone, no less the same ping it made every minute or so to tell him he had a missing message. But he forced himself to focus on his food instead; chewing on a piece of steak like a barbarian.

"Can you check your messages, before I do it for you? That noise is driving me crazy." Happy demanded in irritation; which Tony thought was pretty amusing, since Happy was hardly ever annoyed.

"Touch my phone, I dare you; I'll make you regret it." Tony said half-heartedly, before he finally grabbed his phone and saw another message from _Sweet Cheek_ ; time stamped almost twenty minutes ago.

Hesitantly, he opened the message to find an attachment; which he only opened, when he was sure neither Happy nor Rhodey were about to look over his shoulder. Although, he suspected Loki had sent him something completely unrelated to their previous conversation. Or that was what he believed, until the picture opened up and made his mouth go dry right away.

Loki stood with his back to a mirror whose edges were covered in bumper stickers and drawings done in marker; shirtless and with a pair of black jeans pushed down mid-thigh. His right arm crossed over his body in order to take the picture with his phone; while his tattooed arm was by his side, and his left hand held steadfast onto one of his ass cheeks to partially expose himself.

Tony choked on his own saliva, and almost missed the message attached to the photo that coyly read: _"Proof enough for you, Stark?"_

"I'll be right back; important phone call, you know." He blurted out, almost knocking over his chair in his haste to get inside the house.

Once he stepped inside, Tony barreled wildly through the kitchen and living room, making a beeline for the staircase. Behind him, he heard Happy call after him; no doubt making a joke about his sudden burst of energy, but that hardly deterred him. Not when he wanted to accomplish something in a short period of time.

It would have been much easier to toss Rhodey and Happy out; but he couldn't do that. So he just had to improvise and use the time he had wisely, without drawing too much suspicion from his friends. Something told him that he already had drawn plenty of suspicion by his reckless behavior, though.

Tony made it to his bedroom in record time; he closed and locked the door behind him, and pulled up the picture of Loki again. Loki's face was partially obscured by his hair, which looked damp as if he had only gotten out of the shower. His eyes were downcast, as if he was trying to ensure that the angle would capture the proof of Tony's abuse of his body.

His tattoos also drew Tony's attention; they were brilliantly colorful against his pale skin, and made Loki that much sexier because of them. Every small detail about the photo made Tony's cock stir; which was exactly why he was up there in the first place. Two could play that game, after all.

Hurriedly, he yanked his tee-shirt off and threw it to the floor; before he made his way into the bathroom. There was a vanity large enough to help him get the right shot of himself; and he knew that Loki would appreciate it, even if he chose to play hard to get. He had seemed to like his assets, if the previous night was anything to go by.

He flipped the light switch on, when he crossed the threshold into the bathroom; and studied himself in the mirror. He ran his fingers through his hair that had gotten slightly unkempt, and was probably in need of a cut; although he found he kind of liked the unruly look to it. Then he moved to push down his jeans and take out his semi-hard cock from its confinements.

Tapping on his touch screen, so the image was still displayed for his purposes; Tony took himself into hand and slowly began to stroke his cock. He leaned back against the vanity, studying the picture; which helped him achieve the state of arousal he wanted. His cock hardened considerably, becoming fully erect with very little manipulation from his hand.

It was the photo of Loki that had definitely spurred on his excitement. He rolled his hips as he continued to stroke himself, and conjured up vile fantasy after vile fantasy. Most of which involved, sinking into Loki's body and fucking him into the mattress until he screamed for mercy; the same sweet sounds that came from his mouth only the night before, and which had turned Tony on beyond comparison.

When he was sufficiently hard, Tony turned on his camera and forced himself to turn to face the mirror. He hadn't taken any unsavory pictures of himself before; not with a camera phone anyway. So he took great care on positioning himself in the most flattering of ways, and made sure to wrap his hand around his cock again just to make it that much more sensual than without.

He snapped several pictures, pleased by the results. All of them were pretty damn good; so it was a matter of finding the best one, which was better than having to try again half a dozen more times. Once he'd chosen the best of the lot; Tony attached it to a message that said: _"The proof is right here, babe."_

Eagerly he waited for a reply; wondering if Loki would take blatant offense by upping the ante. But he didn't have to wait very long to find out; it was as if Loki had been waiting by the phone for his response, and was far too eager to play it cool, which was an excellent sign.

_"Are you touching yourself right now?"_

_"Kind of hard not to with that picture you sent me."_ Tony wrote back, letting his other hand slide across his erection in a torturously slow manner; a technique that he oftentimes adopted when he really wanted to come hard.

_"Pervert."_

_"Hey, you started it."_ He sucked in a breath; consumed temporarily by the actions of his hand.

He rolled his hips forward, pressing further into his own grip; unable to smother the moan that came out of his mouth. The visual inside his head, also served to ignite his pleasure further. He imagined shoving Loki across the vanity and pounding into his already stretched hole. And the noises that inevitably would come out of Loki only made his hand move quicker.

Another pleased noise escaped him, only for it to be cut off by his phone blaring out AC/DC obnoxiously. His eyes widened and he peered down at the screen to see _Sweet Cheeks_ splayed underneath _Incoming Call_. For a few moments, Tony could only gape at his phone; before he snapped to his senses, and connected the call.

"Hello." He said in a raspy, clearly aroused voice.

"Pervert," Loki crooned back in what could only be described as an aroused tone too.

"And taking pictures of your stretched out hole isn't?"

"You asked for it."

"I did, but you complied." He chuckled out. "Now let's get down to business – what are you wearing?"

"Exactly what I was wearing in that picture," Loki purred. "But more importantly were you being honest?"

"About?" Tony gripped his cock at the shaft; knowing it would probably be a misstep to come during something unrelated to dirty talk.

"About being clean; you really did get tested three weeks ago?"

"I have my results somewhere; want me to take a picture? Would that turn you on?"

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?" Loki sounded uncertain then; almost frightened even.

Tony sucked in a breath, forcing his mind into the correct head space. Apparently this was more than just a bit of a scare for Loki and he needed the reassurance that only Tony could give him.

"No, I wouldn't lie to you. I'm not that kind of guy; I'll get tested again if you want me to."

"Thank you, Tony." Loki let out a noise of relief; before his voice suddenly turned seductive. "Are you touching your cock still?"

"Yeah, I am." Tony chuckled, guiding his hand up his shaft; before thumbing the head with the right amount of pressure. "Been thinking about you all day, you know. God, you're better than any fantasy I ever had."

"What have you thought about?"

"What haven't I thought about?"

"Be specific." Loki mewed; in an apparent sign that he had started to play with his cock too.

"I still want you to climb into my lap and fuck yourself on my dick." He gritted out, as he drew his hand up and down his erection; picking up the pace once more. "Until you're screaming,"

"I'm ready for it; I'm all stretched for you."

"Oh yeah, baby; you'd like that wouldn't you? I bet you're fingering your hole right now; remembering how good it felt when I was inside of you."

"Tony, ah," Loki gasped loudly; in a way that only aroused Tony more.

The line was filled with nothing but pleasure sounds for several moments. Tony's mind went wild with the thought of Loki sprawled out on his back, with his fingers pressed inside of him; while his other hand pumped his long cock until he squirmed. And the thought was enough to make him buck his hips impatiently for relief.

"God, I want you." Tony gasped; already close to coming.

The only reply he'd gotten in return was a strangled little cry; which pushed him over the edge so abruptly it surprised him. He unleashed a string of expletives, as he came all over his hand and belly. Only a few moments later, he heard Loki make an even more sinful noise; which was a clear indication that he too had hit his climax.

Their labored breathing intermingled together; interrupted by Tony's bark of laughter. After that morning, he hadn't expected to have a moment like that with Loki anytime soon. But even more so, when he called earlier in the day; but he was pleased by the outcome nonetheless.

"When can I see you again, babe?"

"I don't know; I don't think that's a very good idea." Loki said softly.

"Why not; we did have some fun. Or I had fun."

"I'm a little high right now. I shouldn't have called."

"Babe,"

"I like when you call me that." Loki sighed. "It's better than sweetheart."

Before Tony could reply, the line went dead on him. He pulled the phone away from his ear, and set the phone aside with a shake of his head.

"You are one complicated piece of ass, babe."


	14. Chapter Thirteen :: What Are Best Friends For?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one can accuse me of not being diligent. I'm sorry, I'm probably spamming the hell out of you guys.

* * *

 

**Chapter Thirteen :: What Are Best Friends For?**

 

* * *

 

Bucky was exhausted and half-starved; it was almost two in the morning, and he hadn't slept beyond a few hours the previous morning. Much of his day had consisted of keeping watch over Loki; which he sorely needed. So Bucky had done his duty as best friend, sometimes fuck buddy, and made sure to keep Loki above water; or at least as much as he could anyway.

Things hadn't worked out exactly well, though. And he had a distinct feeling that Loki had destroyed his relationship with Fandral too. Due to the fact that Fandral had almost run him over, when he attempted to defend Loki and his stupid behavior; and nothing said _it's over_ like running over your ex's best friend with your car.

Which was precisely why, Bucky had helped pack up Loki's essential belongings and brought him back home. But he hadn't been able to console him after the fact; he had given him a joint, a wet kiss on the lips, and left to meet up with seven clients to finish off their body art.

"There you are." His roommate Steve greeted him once he stepped inside the apartment, still wearing his police blues (although they were closer to black).

"Here I am." Bucky spread open his arms, as he stepped into their kitchenette; where Steve was eating a buttered piece of toast. "Long night, I take it."

Steve nodded as he bit into his toast; although his eyes wandered down the hallway that was painted a blood red. Despite their sharing the apartment space; Bucky had taken some creative privileges with it. Mostly because he knew the landlord and he wasn't opposed to him sprucing up the place, as long as it wasn't too offensive to the eye.

"I smelled weed earlier in the evening, Bucky."

"Loki's here; he needed to chill, so I gave him a joint." He offered, before moving to the fridge to find something to eat; but from the looks of things, he would be going to bed hungry.

"And you just want me to overlook that?"

"Steve it was one joint; I don't have a meth lab set up in my room. And after the day I've had, I really don't want to fight over something as stupid as your position as a cop, and my predilection for weed."

"Why is he even here?" Steve frowned; clearly annoyed by the fact that Bucky didn't want to discuss the weed thing.

Of course, Bucky knew when to smoke weed. He never did it while Steve was around, and Steve pretended to be oblivious to his habit. They worked better on that level of pseudo ignorance; but god forbid when Steve caught a sniff of someone smoking anything. His duty as a cop always took priority to friendship.

"Long story short – Fandral owns their apartment, and I'm pretty sure they're on the way to splitsville." He grabbed a stray bottle of Pepsi from the fridge, before closing the door with unneeded force. "I wasn't going to send him back to mummy and daddy either; that would have literally killed him."

If there was one thing Bucky knew about Loki, was that he rather die than admit failure. Loki would have never crawled back to his parents or his elder brother if he could help it; even if it meant sleeping in his jeep for the rest of his life. So the only logical thing to do was to bring him home; until things were inevitably worked out.

Bucky didn't mind Loki sleeping in his bed or anything either. They'd done it enough over their eight year friendship; platonically and not so platonically too. And it wasn't like Loki imposed in any way either; he was genial and polite and could easily charm the pants off of anyone, Steve included.

"How long will he be staying?" Steve asked tiredly.

"Forever, maybe; I don't know. We might just get married and fuck every night to make you really uncomfortable." He returned, before heading towards the hallway. "Can we have this conversation later? I only got a few hours of sleep; I'm lucky I didn't fuck up any of the tattoos I had to work on tonight. So give me a break for the night; we'll talk about this later."

"Just no more pot, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," he waved over his shoulder dismissively, and made the short trek to his bedroom.

His bedroom door was closed, painted black and adorned with white chalk drawings he preserved with an aerosol fixative. Japanese styled dragons took up a greater half of the space; while in the center was his nickname written in kanji. Besides that he'd drawn several cherry blossoms etched in the faintest of pinks. The theme was very similar to his full tattoo sleeve on his right arm; while his left had a large red star on his upper arm.

He opened the door as quietly as he could, and stepped over the threshold to find the bedside lamp was still on. A warm yellowy glow brightened the room; framing Loki's bare skin welcomingly. Loki was belly down on his bed, naked besides a leather cuff on his right wrist. His eyes were slightly open, although he didn't make any move to get up and greet him.

"Hey." He said, as he shouldered off his leather jacket; the exact same one Loki owned. They'd gotten them in New York City four years ago; during a trip to see Bucky's then boyfriend.

"Hey."

"How are you feeling?"

"Guilty as hell," Loki nuzzled the pillow underneath his face.

Bucky set his bottle of Pepsi onto the bedside table; making quick work of his clothing. He pulled off his Violent Femmes tee-shirt, tossing it into the corner of the room; before he stepped out of his combat boots, and pushed down his jeans until they slid off completely.

Once he was down to his gray boxer briefs, he climbed into the bed next to Loki; who shifted slightly to accommodate to him. But there was plenty of room; since he did have a queen sized mattress.

"Things will look up in the morning." Bucky picked up his Pepsi and opened it; before taking a hardy swig from it. "And if not; fuck it, we'll do something fun and reckless to make up for it."

"I already did something fun and reckless." Loki cracked a lazy smile, before sticking his hand underneath the pillow and unearthing his cellphone. "He messaged me this time."

"And you entertained him, didn't you? Then again why am I even asking? That's stereotypical stoned Loki behavior; I should have taken your phone away from you." Bucky took the phone from him and unlocked it.

The conversation between Loki and the mystery man dubbed only as Stark; cropped up before his eyes. He scrolled up to the first text and read through the many messages that followed; only shooting Loki a glance at the mention of photographic proof about his poor, stretched ass. Which Bucky had to admit was pretty impressive; and if he tried to prod Loki's ass with his index finger, he wasn't about to come clean about it.

Except the angry punch to his shoulder was proof enough; he was just glad Loki had purposely directed the hit to his left shoulder instead of his right. He couldn't have worked effectively if his dominant arm had been injured. And Loki really knew how to pack a punch.

"Come on, Loki. Are you trying to give Fandral another reason to leave your ass?" Bucky rolled his eyes, as he came across the explicit but very hot picture of Loki spreading himself open for this Stark character.

Words failed him completely though, once he saw the picture in return. He tapped on it to enlarge it and stared at it for a very long time. The Stark guy had to be in his forties; his hair was a bit wild with a sporadic streak or two of gray in it, and a trimmed and perfectly maintained goatee and mustache. He was in good shape too and had a very nice dick; Bucky had to hand it to Loki, he knew how to pick them.

"Okay, I understand. The guy is fucking hot as hell. And let's not forget to mention the thing between his legs; the mystery's solved on why you were so sloppy."

"We had phone sex." Loki admitted, before snatching the phone away; and gazing at his conquest almost hungrily. "It didn't last very long, though. And I might have told him we couldn't do it again."

"A wise but stupid decision; kind of a paradox there,"

"I love Fandral, you know." Loki slowly sat up with a frown. "I don't want to lose him either, but…"

"I know you hate the open relationship thing. I've told you from the get-go that you need to speak up and tell him as much. But you made yourself out to be a pariah, and now you're playing with fire." He took another swig of Pepsi. "I mean that guy is fucking incredible, don't get me wrong. But is he worth throwing away Fandral?"

Bucky hadn't any opinion of it either way; aside from the fact that he couldn't stand when Loki was hurt in any way. Even though, Loki had so stupidly put himself into that position by permitting Fandral to sleep around with women. But that was Loki's curse, really; he had a way of attracting straight guys everywhere he went. Straight guys loved him for some reason. It was like Loki had a brand on his ass that said – starter gay on it.

"Do you think Fandral would stop sleeping with women if I asked him to?" Loki asked, although hesitantly.

"Highly unlikely; I mean if you want me to be completely honest. And I figure that's what you need right now." He sighed, setting aside his Pepsi; keeping his gaze on his best friend. "Fandral isn't like you and me; he doesn't live for dick. He's a hetero guy who's dabbling; he doesn't go to the gay clubs with us and he doesn't even try to ingrate into the community. He's straight, Loki; he isn't going to give up pussy anytime soon."

"Fucking straight guys,"

"You should put that on your résumé. Loki Odinson, special skills – fucking straight guys."

"That isn't funny, Bucky."

"Sure, it is." He kicked down the duvet and linens, and sunk down against the mattress. "Not only is it funny, but it's the truth. What's worse, you can't even convert them; you aren't going to convert Fandral, despite your ass being delicious. He's just not wired that way."

They hadn't discussed the matter of Fandral's heterosexuality very much; due in part to Loki's refusal to do so. He was hardheaded and maybe a bit on the delusional side, when it came to the strength of their relationship. But the cold hard reality was that Fandral would never be faithful to Loki, no matter what he did.

No matter how kinky their sex life was or even how attentive he was to Fandral; the guy wasn't about to change his sexuality anytime soon. Bucky had just been kind enough not to blatantly state Loki was wasting his time; especially when there were so many gay men that would dump everything they were doing just to bed him and build a life with him.

"The guy, you know,"

"The stallion with a beautiful dick, you mean?" Bucky motioned towards Loki's phone; who openly glowered at him, almost jealousy even. "What about him?"

"He's straight too."

"Jesus Christ, do you have a type. And I was hoping he was at least bi."

"Maybe _they_ have a type." Loki sneered, before reaching over to shut the lamp off.

"Big surprise there that the straights want to play with our prettiest teammate," he yawned, rolling onto his side, so his back was facing Loki.

They stayed in relative silence after the exclamation, which slowly lured Bucky towards sleep. He really needed a good night's rest, more than he even needed food; and maybe if he was lucky he could convince Loki to blow him for being such a good friend in the morning. Although he was pretty sure that would backfire; except it would be funny to suggest nonetheless.

Just as the first tendrils of sleep ebbed their way into his body; something struck him from the text messages he read between Loki and the guy named Stark. His eyes snapped open, and he stared into the pressing darkness around him; before he opened his mouth and blurted out his concerns.

"What did he mean when he said you guys talked about his girlfriend in school?"

"Nothing, really," Loki sounded sleepy but no less calculating.

"Oh god, you dirty slut! He was your teacher wasn't he?!"

"Good night, Bucky. You need your sleep."

"Your whole life is a porno, I swear." Bucky guffawed loudly, but closed his eyes nonetheless. "How did I ever get caught up with you?"

"Very good luck,"

"Bucky and Loki equals lucky." He laughed again and closed his eyes. This time though; he allowed sleep to finally take him, and he didn't realize how exhausted he was until everything went black so quickly.

But he did note before he was completely lost, was the feel of Loki's body curving around his; almost in a desperate and innocent way, which he found to be awfully heartbreaking. And yet he was happy to accommodate to Loki in any way he could; because really what were best friends for?


	15. Chapter Fourteen :: Affection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this got out of hand and ended up far longer than I hoped for. I doubt it's very good either; compared to my other Lucky one-shot. But it'll do for now (it'll have to, I guess). 
> 
> Anyway, I jumped the story ahead by two weeks; mostly because I couldn't write this scene earlier. And everything will be worked out accordingly, I promise. So I hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

 

**Chapter Fourteen :: Affection**

 

* * *

 

Sex hadn't really been an option of late; in between the scare of potentially being infected by a STD, and the stress of his inevitable break-up with Fandral and losing contact with Tony. Loki hadn't been up for any sort of physicality; he couldn't really. Not until his test results came back anyway. And he was elated to find that he had received a clean bill of health.

Regardless of the state of his life, Loki had disregarded it for the time being. Worrying himself about Fandral wasn't about to fix their relationship and it hadn't done him any good either; especially since he had already done everything within his power to try and salvage things between them. No less, putting himself on the line for another romp with a heterosexual man such as Tony; didn't seem to be very appealing either.

So he went to the next best thing; if not _the_ best thing. He stalked into Bucky's bedroom, where he'd temporarily been staying; only to find his best friend with his back against the headboard of his bed, simultaneously sketching in a notebook and watching a documentary on the Civil War on TV.

Bucky was a history buff; who also had an almost unhealthy obsession with previously fought wars. That was mostly leant to the fact that he'd spent two tours in Afghanistan before his twenty-third birthday; and that had been enough for him, before he left the military and had chosen a career as a tattoo artist instead.

"What are you drawing?" Loki practically purred, although his presence didn't ignite any interest; not yet anyway.

"Nothing special, really," Bucky returned; keeping his eyes glued to the notepad in front of him. "Some kind of zeppelin; some guy wants it spruced up steampunk style or something. Lots of gears and levers; you know, the works."

"Why don't you put that down; I have good news."

"Are we doing Pride this year? You know the whole nine yards; parades and bar hopping and wearing hot pants, and kissing random strangers? With you being adopted by the twinks into their not so secret society? And then I'll have to save you by saying your big bear of a boyfriend will crush them?" Bucky finally looked at him.

Loki plucked the pencil out of his best friend's hand, before he took possession of his notepad shortly thereafter. He set them onto the bedside table; filled with bits of paper, half-empty cola bottles, and miscellaneous odds and ends. Bucky looked about to protest, but grew quiet when Loki hoisted himself onto the bed and straddled his lap.

"Would you like to hear my good news now?" He asked slyly, as he draped his arms around Bucky's shoulders. "Or would you rather talk about a hypothetical Pride situation?"

"I am all ears. Well, unless you talk over the Battle of South Mountain then we'll have a problem."

"Oh you'll like what I have to say." Loki leaned inward until their lips were almost touching. "I've just received a clean bill of health; all my test results came in and I am clean."

Realization slowly ebbed onto Bucky's face; a wicked grin crossed over his lips, one in which Loki had seen on many occasions. But his favorites had always been moments before they ravaged one another with their mouths and hands.

"We really should celebrate."

"Let's," he pressed his mouth to Bucky's, humming in satisfaction by the response he received.

There wasn't any hesitation whatsoever on Bucky's side. In fact, he kissed him back eagerly; as both his hands came up to cradle his face. They kissed slowly, unrushed but hungry nonetheless. It had been awhile since they dabbled into any sort of intimacy; greatly in part to Loki's relationship with Fandral, but also because Bucky had his own queue of people he regularly satisfied.

Loki tilted his head as Bucky's tongue traced its way across his bottom lip. Warmth began to spread throughout his body by the sensation; and he couldn't help but moan into the kiss, as Bucky bit down onto his lip. It was the perfect combination of pain and pleasure; something he sorely missed of late.

They broke away after a few moments; peering at one another curiously. Bucky cracked a brilliant smile at him, making a show of licking his lips; and then pressed another kiss to his mouth. Except he drew away before it could get any more heated, which Loki found he didn't appreciate very much. Bucky was a tease like that, though; he had even managed to get Loki to beg for relief more than once to his chagrin.

"And here I thought you took a vow of celibacy." Bucky turned his head away, as Loki tried to kiss him again. "Wow, there; there's plenty of time for that."

"Don't be insufferable tonight; I want you inside of me right this very instant." Loki reached between their bodies, easily unbuttoning the top of Bucky's jean. "I haven't been fucked in sixteen days."

"But could I really get you off now, after you got fucked by your teacher's cock?"

"You'll just have to try your hardest." He nipped at Bucky's chin. "Be at your hardest,"

Before he could say anymore; Bucky crushed their mouths together in a feral way. Which made his body arch and ache for something he had wanted fervently over the past two weeks; he hadn't even known he was that starved for sexual gratification until he'd gotten his test results back.

His previous tryst of phone sex between him and Tony had been satisfactory to a point. Although it was nothing compared to being touched and caressed by another human being; and Bucky knew exactly what would drive him crazy. How he loved to be pinned down and taken slowly but roughly; drawing out his arousal until he couldn't take it anymore.

Bucky also knew the best and fastest way to make him orgasm. He could simply hook his fingers, three for optimal results; and press them at a certain angle, and Loki would practically explode in a fit of body spasms and expletives that normally weren't a part of his lexicon (unless for dirty talk, of course). Fandral hadn't even been able to do that; not without some time anyway, as opposed to Bucky who could have yanked his trousers down at any given moment and make it happen fairly quickly.

Their tongues twined together; tasting every inch of each other's mouths, and Loki found he had missed that eccentric taste that was solely Bucky's. He always tasted of some sort of cola and ink (due to his predilection for gnawing on ballpoint pens), and oftentimes a strong ale during the evening hours. But today it was only cola and ink, and a hint of peppermint too from his toothpaste; which Loki found himself reveling in.

As they continued exploring one another's mouths; Bucky's hands found their way into his hair and tousled and tangled it within seconds. His hair had been perfectly coiffed; slicked back and curled at the tips, which came both naturally and unnaturally. Nature had given a wave to his hair, while man had given him a flat iron and an unspeakable amount of patience.

They broke apart again, once air became imperative; which was a damn shame. Loki sucked in a lungful of air, as he slid his hands across Bucky's broad shoulders. He was relaxed like he always was; Bucky never seemed to be wound up about anything. He always rolled with the punches; accepted whatever life threw at him, before he openly defied it and did whatever the hell he wanted. And that was a trait Loki only wished he could possess.

"You're sure about this?" Bucky asked, massaging at his scalp. "Maybe it's too soon, you know with all this bullshit going on."

"And how long should I wait?" Loki leaned back slightly; intentionally grinding his ass against Bucky's awakening erection. "Should I wait for Fandral to send me a telegram telling me that it's over?"

Bucky groaned in spite of himself; pressing his hips up to make the best use of the friction between them. Despite the many layers between them, it still felt good. Loki felt himself harden by their combined efforts, and he wanted nothing more than to make the foreplay a reality. He wanted to ride Bucky insistently until the bed springs groaned and the headboard banged against the wall, and to have his best friend be the one to beg for mercy.

The possibilities were endless, but all had desirable outcomes. He envisioned Bucky forcing him onto his back, hovering above him, and stuffing his cock down his throat without any warning. And making him take it even as his jaw protested and screamed and threatened to lock; he wanted that and so much more.

"When were you born, the twenties?" Bucky finally spoke, although his voice was strained as his hips continued to rise minutely. "Fandral doesn't even know what a fucking telegram is. He'd be hard pressed to find anyone to send you one. Not to mention, shit, he might actually want to get back together."

"Has that ever stopped us before?" He ground down further into Bucky's lap, stopping only when Bucky grabbed his hips in a strong hold.

"Things were different then; don't play stupid." Bucky shot him a serious, albeit lust addled stare. "You've been pining away for Fandral all this time. You've been glued to your phone, when you aren't working or playing teacher with your brother."

"If he hasn't spoken to me in over two weeks, I doubt he'll suddenly realize he wants to be with me again."

"And your teacher,"

"Stark has been as receptive as Fandral has been." Loki growled, slamming his palms against the wall behind the bed. "He is another straight guy who wanted to experiment. Once he got what he wanted, he went away. Now are you going to fuck me or will I have to find someone else to do the job?"

"You could always lure Steve to the dark side. He's straight and you are the starter gay." Bucky yelped in pain, as Loki landed a hard punch to his shoulder.

The stigma of being called the starter gay hadn't lessened, even though it was coined by Bucky as a joke during those rough two weeks. Despite the fact, it did have a grain of truth to it; since he did have a curse of attracting traditionally heterosexual men to him, and he had slept with many of them too.

Whatever happened afterwards in their lives wasn't any of his business. He never slept with anyone unwillingly, and since he was generally topped; he really couldn't say he'd taken advantage of anyone. They had all wanted it, Tony and Fandral included.

"It was a joke, you know." Bucky groaned, rubbing his shoulder gingerly.

"You ruined the mood." Loki sneered, before he attempted to leave Bucky to his stupid Civil War documentary.

It didn't work out the way he planned, though. Bucky lurched forward and wrapped his arms around him in an iron-clad hold. They were face to face again, but Loki hadn't any desire to kiss him anymore; not when he ruined everything.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I was being an insensitive asshole." Bucky forced him to look into his sky-blue eyes. "You aren't a starter gay; if anything anyone would be lucky to have you, me included. But both of us know we'd kill each other within the week, though."

Of course, they had briefly thought about dating several years ago. They were close enough that it seemed like a reasonable thing to do; but the title of relationship hadn't been a good fit. They had come very close to throwing punches at one another back then; which was a clear indicator they were better off as friends and sometimes fuck buddies than full-blown boyfriends.

"I'm sorry, Loki." Bucky squeezed his arms around him. "Please let me make it up to you."

Stubbornly, Loki looked away and stared at the window whose blinds were closed shut. His resolve was as iron-clad as Bucky's embrace; although it threatened to crumble as Bucky began to nip along his jawline, in a way that always drove him crazy. And his body began to betray him too.

His arousal hadn't gone away, despite the argument between them; and it only flared up by the way Bucky sunk his teeth into his sensitive skin. He drew in a breath and closed his eyes; as Bucky made his way down to his throat, and lavished it with bites and kisses and licks.

"You better apologize properly." He stammered out; hating himself for how easily he'd given into his best friend, who was continuing to do devious things with his mouth to him.

Loki lifted his hands, tangling them into Bucky's wild brown hair. He'd grown it out recently and it gave him the stereotypical look of a tattoo artist. Bucky looked oftentimes grungy but still sexy and sensual. It would be a lie to say that Loki hadn't touched himself recently, when he thought about him; although he had taken second place to Tony.

The things he had thought about were filthy on all fronts. He couldn't help it either; he hadn't gone without sex for that long since his adolescence. But more importantly, he hadn't gone without when he'd been with Fandral. Fandral had always been diligent in pleasing him one way or another; even on those dreadful nights before they went to prowl on women together.

"You're thinking too much; I can tell." Bucky's hands had dragged their way across his ribcage; while his mouth began to suck at his adam's apple. "Stop thinking, Loki and just feel."

Bucky rubbed small circular patterns against his ribs; soft little touches that made Loki's breath hitch. His head dropped back ever-so-slightly; enjoying the feel of Bucky's hands on him, and that very present tongue of his that continued to lap at his throat. His bottom slowly began to grind along Bucky's lap again, and found him to be very hard still.

It was good to know they hadn't been deterred by their previous tiff. They were still very much affected by one another's bodies; Loki felt warmth pool in his belly and groin. The constriction of his trousers and briefs was already unbearable; made worse by Bucky's deft fingers popping open the buttons on his oxford, and stroking every section of skin that was uncovered.

Loki groaned, tightening his grip on Bucky's hair, and holding him firmly in place against his throat; although he let go when an amused chuckle rumbled out of him. The sound was both endearing and aggravating; but he chose not to mention as much, and instead opted to shrug out of his shirt.

"Remind me why we don't do this more often." Bucky followed his lead, grabbing onto the back of his tee-shirt, and yanking it over his head. "Because I can't think of any legitimate reason why we don't do this all the time,"

"I imagine this will become a very frequent thing now." Loki smirked, before taking possession of his tee-shirt, and throwing it aside along with his own shirt.

"Good, I hate mediocre fucks." Bucky leaned in pressing a kiss to one of his pecs, gradually coaxing his tongue out to flick at his nipple which hardened almost instantly.

Loki's body flared with wanton need so suddenly, he couldn't suppress the noise that came out of him. It was as if he was possessed; needy and touch hungry. One of his hands found its way to the nape of Bucky's neck, urging him to continue; while his other hand found purchase on the mattress. Since he needed the balance, due to how he arched his body forward at an almost unnatural angle.

Bucky's arms looped around him again, but this time his hands slipped underneath his ass and cupped it with eager squeezes; and that only made his erection beg for release from his trousers. Loki tightened his grip on Bucky's neck, as his mouth closed around his nipple and began to suck it with the right amount of pressure; a skill that had been perfected over eight years of knowing one another.

"Pants off now," Loki panted out, desperately needing skin to skin contact.

Bucky only hummed around his nipple in reply; sucking harder and sending an electrical jolt directly to Loki's cock. His hips rolled of their own accord, seeking some sort of friction; but Bucky's hands on his ass were preventing him from getting any closer to his stomach that was well defined and beautiful to look at.

"No more, Bucky." He moaned in spite of himself, as Bucky bit down onto his nipple lightly. "I just want you to fuck me already. Hold me down and fuck me until I scream."

"Mm, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Bucky shifted his head, before licking his other nipple with care. "I'd roll you onto your stomach and just pound your ass."

"Do that right now."

"And miss out on all this foreplay?" He quirked his eyebrow, as he tongued his nipple obscenely. "Are you sure you want that?"

Foreplay generally lasted a good portion of time between them; sometimes so long that they never made it to the actual intercourse. Once Bucky had only lasted a few thrusts, before he came so hard while cursing up a blue streak. But this time, Loki really needed to be penetrated and fucked; not with Bucky's fingers or even his tongue – he needed his cock.

Cautiously, Loki managed to get to his knees; glad that Bucky's hands fell away as did his mouth. So it made it much easier to reach down and unbutton and unzip his trousers. He hadn't had to combat with any wayward hands, hell bent on making him keen and come on foreplay alone.

"I hate pants. Why do we even wear pants in the apartment?" Bucky complained, as Loki climbed off of him and onto his unsteady legs to stand beside the bed. "This should be a pants free zone; if Steve doesn't like it, he can get bent."

"Maybe that's actually what you want." Loki replied, shoving his trousers down until they pooled around his ankles; he stepped out of them easily enough, pleased that Bucky was already working on his jeans.

"Oh please; that's the equivalent of you wanting to sleep with Thor. He's like my brother."

"Do you want to kill my erection?"

"I rather have it in my mouth, to be honest." Bucky winked, harshly shoving his jeans and underwear down until he was freed of them.

Any witty response that Loki might have had, died on his lips. He could only stare at Bucky, who looked utterly delectable. His abdominal muscles were stupidly defined, as were his arms too that were amplified attractively by his colorful tattoos. One of Loki's favorite things about Bucky's body was the chiseled V-shape above his hips; for someone who drank cola like it were water, Bucky was in extraordinary shape and it was difficult not to ravage him immediately.

Loki's eyes traveled over every inch of his best friend's body; before settling onto his erection that was worthy of praise. As if on cue, Bucky reached down and began to slowly pump his cock; while his other hand cupped his balls and rubbed his thumb over the delicate skin. The bastard was putting on a show for him, which made Loki's cock strain against his boxer briefs uncomfortably.

Refusing to look away, he managed to push down his briefs; sighing in relief as he stepped out of them and discarded them somewhere on the floor. His hand trailed between his legs, fondling himself like Bucky; only stopping so he could straddle him again, and stop that unnecessary teasing.

"Stop that." He grabbed Bucky's hand and pulled it away from his cock; only to entwine their fingers together.

"Didn't like the show?"

"Not when I could do something better for you,"

"Like what exactly?" Bucky smirked in a way that spurred Loki on; it always did, though.

Without any explanation, he pressed a kiss to the back of Bucky's hand; before he maneuvered himself downward. His intentions became apparent quickly, and Bucky catered to him appropriately. He parted his legs wide enough for Loki could settle in between them, and for he was level with his erection.

Loki released his hold on Bucky's hand, and then took a hold of his hips. He ran his thumbs across the V-shape of his torso, as he bent his head to drag the flat of his tongue from the base of his cock to the smooth and thick head. Bucky's cock twitched underneath his ministrations immediately, much to Loki's delight.

"Oh god, it has been too long." Bucky arched his back, choking out a moan as Loki continued to repeat the action of licking him from base to head, and then head to base.

It would be a lie to say that Loki didn't get any enjoyment from oral sex. Ever since he could remember he had some sort of oral fixation; which eventually extended into his sex life. He had been told by anyone honored to be blown by him that he was one of the best; condom or not.

Once he licked up Bucky's cock again; he sucked the head between his lips and slowly drew it into his mouth, while his hand circled the shaft and stroked it to match his mouth's pace. Bucky moaned again deeply, as Loki began to roll his tongue around the head of his cock; reveling in the way it felt in his mouth.

Loki closed his eyes, taking Bucky further into his mouth; before he began to bob his head up and down. His tongue slithered along the underside of Bucky's cock, and laved the vein thoroughly. His hand continued to stroke the shaft, in a way that always brought favorable results to the recipient; which it did, if Bucky's reaction was any measure of it.

Bucky grasped him by the hair with both hands, keeping him firmly in place. Although, Loki hadn't any desire to pull away; he hollowed out his cheeks, increasing the suction and the bobbing of his head. He came close to gagging as he sank further along his dick, and made his own dick twitch in pleasure.

"Shit, Loki." Bucky hissed, trying feebly to jut his hips forward; although Loki's free hand pressed his hip down and prevented the action. "You need to stop; fuck, I'm going to come and you're going to hate me for it."

Despite wanting to continue sucking Bucky off; Loki knew it wasn't wise to not heed his best friend's warning. Especially when there was a very good chance, he would let him orgasm in his mouth; since he had always had a deep dark desire to let someone. Which oddly enough was magnified by this whole scare, and probably worsened by the fact he was clean and he hadn't any doubt Bucky was too (even though he hadn't bothered to pick up his own test results yet).

Slowly, Loki allowed Bucky's cock to slip from his mouth and almost immediately wished he hadn't. It was covered in spittle and a beautiful shade of red; which made his balls draw up in want. He pumped him for several moments longer, before planting a hungry kiss to the tip and smearing his precum across his lips.

"Come here and kiss me." Bucky demanded breathlessly, tugging on his hair until he moved and met him halfway.

Their mouths melded together hard; followed by a meeting of their tongues, that slid against one another into a sloppy mess. Loki gasped softly into Bucky's mouth, and tossed his arms around his shoulders to keep him near; while Bucky's hands ran along the length of his back and sides.

The kiss gradually lost its urgency, returning to a lazy and unrushed affair. Bucky nipped at his bottom lip; worrying it between his teeth, then laved it to chase away the sting. Loki tilted his head to the side, almost crying out as Bucky suddenly began to suck on his tongue; which ignited his whole body with fire.

His hold on his shoulders increased, but the kiss ended much too soon for his liking. Then again, he had been starved for this sort of attention for over two hard weeks. And even his tryst with Tony hadn't been this intimate; mostly because they both had teased the other to the point of madness.

Intimacy with Tony was appealing, though. He wondered how it would feel to worship every inch of his body; to simply touch and kiss him, and memorize every irregularity, every scar and blemish on his skin. That thought made his whole body tremble in want; even if he knew it was wrong, especially since his life had fallen into shambles around him. More so even, when he was faced with Bucky, whose lips were crooked in that boyishly attractive way of his and made every hurt go away in a split-second.

"Lie on your stomach, I got you." Bucky pecked him, before kissing both his cheeks too.

Wordlessly, Loki followed instructions; he normally wouldn't have, since he hated to be bossed around. But it hadn't been a haughty demand, and he knew Bucky would take care of him. And that knowledge made him hate the fact that they were so incompatible. Seeing as they could have been something wonderful.

He settled onto his stomach, reaching down to cradle his aching erection. He released it once he felt Bucky shift behind him and turn off the TV, mid-drone about some important battle or another; which undoubtedly Bucky would have been able to recite easily about if he only asked him to.

Two strong hands cradled his ass then, squeezing and fondling it; causing Loki to bury his face into the freshly laundered linens. He tried to calm his erratic heartbeat, as Bucky continued to play with his ass in a firm but gentle way. Bucky pried his cheeks open, exposing him for several moments; before he abandoned his ministrations and shifted elsewhere.

Loki heard a drawer being yanked opened, rummaged through, and closed rather quickly. He couldn't help but shudder when Bucky's hands found him again, and gently slid across the swell of his ass. His fingers moved almost reverently across his skin; dancing and drawing curlicues and maybe even words across him.

He lifted his ass higher for Bucky to take advantage of it; unable to silence the whimper that erupted out of him, once he was given a hard slap on his right cheek and then the left. His cock throbbed painfully underneath him, heavy and stiff; which he hoped to remedy very soon if Bucky would stop toying with him.

"Nice and relaxed," Bucky hummed in approval, and then popped open what could only be a bottle of lubrication. "It's been awhile, so let's lube you up good."

Before Loki could vocalize any question he might have had; he was cut off by the sudden stream of liquid, cascading down the crease of his ass. Bucky drenched him in lube; it dripped onto his balls and onto the awaiting duvet and linens underneath him.

"Wet, very wet; and just how I like it too,"

"Did you use the whole bottle?" He rasped out, unable to look over his shoulder for some reason; maybe due in part to embarrassment.

"No, half; but it'll feel good. I bet this does." Bucky pressed the tip of his finger against his hole, turning it slightly until it sunk in without any trouble.

Loki's body seized up by the invasion, despite having fingered himself in recent days. He'd been left alone in the apartment; Bucky had had to work late as he always did, and Steve had decided to stay at his girlfriend's apartment for the evening. So he had made good use of his alone time and fingered his ass to the thought of Tony doing it for him.

The memory of that fantasy was very palpable in his mind still. Tony had thick and callused fingers, which had coaxed him open until Loki had practically screamed from the sensation. He'd came as he thought about fucking himself onto Tony's fingers, while his former teacher had purred encouragements in his ear and fondled his balls.

Bucky's finger was callused like Tony's, but definitely not as thick and blunt. He had artist hands similarly to Loki's but his fingers weren't as long. They didn't need to be, though. They knew how to please naturally; they knew every inch of Loki's body from the inside-out. So it only took a moment and a precise twist to make him cry out in pleasure.

Loki gripped the bed linens in a vice-like grip; his whole body trembled from the penetration and felt his muscles clench in an attempt to ward the offending appendage away. That only led to another slick finger being pressed inside of him; they prodded and massaged his muscles, before they very slowly began to part and stretch him in turn.

The sensation was a familiar one; one that always made him keen. Bucky's other hand trailed languidly along his back, in between his shoulder blades; and eventually coming to rest on the nape of his neck, which he kneaded almost lovingly.

"You are beautiful." Bucky slipped a third finger into him, and maneuvered all three further inside of him; fucking him nice and slow. "We really need to do this more often, don't you think?"

"Mm," he pushed back into Bucky's fingers; suddenly struck by pleasure so strong, his whole body seized up and his vision wavered temporarily.

The noise he made could only be described as animalistic. His cock twitched and spurted precum onto the bed's dressings; although it was miraculous that he hadn't completely unraveled and came then and there. Bucky had pulled his little trick on him, and he was helpless to prevent him from massaging his prostate. It felt too good to even try to stop him either.

"Of course, you wouldn't forget how easily I can make you come just from my fingers. I don't even have to touch your cock to make you shoot your load." Bucky chuckled breathlessly, while still paying very close attention to his prostate. "But I know that isn't what you want, is it?"

"No," Loki whined, muffling a moan into the mattress.

"What do you want then?" Bucky trailed his hand back across his spine and over the swell of his ass, before giving it a nice slap; which only enhanced the wonderful sensations running through his body. "Tell me."

Loki opened his mouth against the linens; incapable of forming words. He was pulled head-first into ecstasy and could only focus on that. Every one of his nerve endings was at attention and his hips worked of their own volition to extend the pleasure Bucky's fingers were giving him.

They continued to thrust in and out of him; hooking ever-so-slightly, and grazing over his prostate before touching it incessantly. And the mere thought of how Bucky might very well look behind him; sweat-covered and heaving only made him cry out again. He had lost all semblance of control and he loved every moment of it.

"What do you want?" Bucky asked again and wriggled his fingers just right to draw another cry out of him.

"You, I want you!" He managed to say, almost on the verge of becoming completely hysterical.

"You have me; you have my fingers."

"Your cock, I want your cock! Bucky stop, please!"

"I'm kind of torturing you, aren't I?" Bucky glided his hand to the back of his thigh and caressed it; before he slowly withdrew his fingers from his ass with a wet and vulgar pop. "And I promised to take care of you; I guess I'm bad at keeping my word. But I'll make it up to you now."

Loki dropped fully onto the mattress, scrunching his eyes closed; in hopes that the overwhelming sensations would taper off a bit. He had almost forgotten how good sex felt with another person; masturbation was really one-dimensional in comparison. Especially when you had a partner that knew exactly how you ticked, and how to manipulate it just in the right way for your benefit.

Soft, chaste kisses fell across Loki's sweat-slicked back; followed by even softer murmurs of praise that affected him even more than the kisses did. Bucky complimented his beauty and how good he'd been at taking his fingers, and how well he'd take his cock when he put it in him.

Admittedly, Loki loved to be praised in every facade of his life; but he loved to be praised in the bedroom the most. Fandral had frequently told him how tight he was; he just hadn't had a knack for calling him beautiful or sexy like Bucky did when they were intimate. It wasn't to say that Fandral never said it; he just never did it in heightened moments of pleasure.

Bucky eventually draped his body of Loki's, nuzzling his shoulder; still whispering sweet nothings against his skin. His erection was pressed against his ass; slick and hard, and ready to fuck Loki until every sane thought left his mind.

"Lift your ass for me a little bit." Bucky managed to say, while he sucked and nipped at his shoulder, until he complied.

Loki peered back at Bucky, as he balanced on one hand, and guided his cock to his entrance with the other. The blunt head nudged at his hole, insistent to slip inside of him; which it did with a bit of maneuvering on Bucky's part. His body opened up to Bucky easily, and it took his breath away.

Being penetrated was a sensation Loki never got tired of. The persistent roll of his Bucky's hips drew him further and further into Loki, until he eventually bottomed out. They moaned at the same time; consumed by the physical closeness that they achieved. Loki was temporarily overwhelmed by the heaviness and blunt presence of Bucky's cock embedded inside of him; and couldn't help but bury his face back into the mattress again.

He felt Bucky shift above him; planting his other hand beside his head, in order to keep himself up. But the lower half of his body was pressed obscenely close to his; hell, they were physically connected, which he was reminded of abruptly by the slow roll of Bucky's hips.

"Condom," he whimpered out, digging his nails into the linens.

"Yeah, it's on already." Bucky groaned, lazily rolling his hips still. "Don't need a repeat of the past two weeks of hell."

"Fuck me now; how I like it."

"Impatient," Bucky chuckled as he pulled halfway out of him; before explosively ramming back into him.

The action ignited another wave of pleasure throughout Loki's body; far more superior than when Bucky had simply utilized his fingers. It was intense and raw, and left him breathless; despite the slow and measured pace that Bucky adopted in those first few moments.

His cock drove hard and deeply into Loki; before drawing out at an agonizing pace, and repeating the motion over and over again. Loki whimpered in spite of himself; lifting his ass even more so he could enjoy the sensation further. And that really did the trick; maybe even spurred on Bucky to snap his hips harder and faster, and drive himself into Loki's ass with something akin to impatience.

The rhythm that Bucky adopted was enough to make Loki's toes curl. He couldn't silence his gasps and moans, and reveled in every burst of ecstasy that ripped through him at an alarming rate. Bucky fucked into him relentlessly but still maintaining an amount of control that was pretty extraordinary. Especially since Loki was tail spinning out of control; lost to everything that wasn't that persistent roll of hips and sharp prods inside him, which were coming very close to his prostate.

"Oh god, you're perfect." Bucky hissed above him, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head; despite his sweaty and mussed hair. "Your ass is fucking heaven."

Loki pressed back into Bucky; loving the way that his best friend choked out an expletive. He knew how to please Bucky as much as he knew how to please him. Bucky loved when he fucked back against his cock; displaying how eager and hungry he was for more. It was a surefire way to make Bucky curse like a sailor and make him come hard and fast.

He continued to push back to meet Bucky's thrusts, while feebly trying to slip one of his hands underneath his body to take his aching cock into his hand. His attempts were foiled, though; at the unexpected sensation of Bucky practically leaving his body and slamming into him with enough force to send him lurching forward across the mattress.

It was impossible not to scream; it escaped Loki loudly, overwhelmed by how good he felt. Bucky had brushed over his prostate, and proceeded to do so again; which caused his whole body to clench up and his hips to snap back out of sheer instinct. And they built the foundation of their pleasure on that; Bucky pounded into him without pause, while Loki pushed back into him to enhance the experience even more.

A cacophony of sound erupted around them; their moans entwined and mingled, making it impossible to tell who was crying out or cursing. Then there was the obscene sound of their skin slapping together over and over again; which was enough to turn anyone on.

"James, ah," Loki gasped at a particularly hard thrust that hit his prostate dead-on.

"Close, aren't you?" Bucky kissed his head again, trying to mask the groan that escaped him. "Me too, me too,"

By sheer force of will, Loki somehow slid his hand between his body and the mattress, and took himself into hand. His cock throbbed painfully in his grasp, which he attempted to soothe by several languid strokes that caused his balls to draw up more than they previously had. He knew he was bound to come very soon and the prospect was both relieving and unwanted.

If he could, he would have wanted to switch positions; to climb on top of Bucky and take back control. And yet he needed to come, more than he needed to reestablish his position as the one in charge.

"Come on, you know you want to come." Bucky rolled his hips fluidly; so much differently than he had throughout their sexual encounter that it came as a pleasant surprise. "Come nice and hard for me, Loki."

The head of his cock dragged across Loki's prostate, putting so much pressure on it by his new fluidity that he was about to lose it. His hand worked faster on his member; jerking himself off as best as he could, and clenched his muscles around Bucky at the same time.

"Fuck, baby!" Bucky groaned loudly, jabbing his cock hard into his prostate; and that was all it took.

Loki sobbed out something incoherent, as his whole body locked up, and he came with a terrifying ferocity. He buried his face into the mattress, as he experienced one of the longest orgasms of his life. His cock spurted cum all over the bed dressings, until he was absolutely spent.

Bucky was still fucking into him wildly; pumping in and out of his sensitive hole, which prolonged his already endless orgasm. But he finally withdrew, practically shoving himself off of Loki; before the distinct sound of rubber snapping caught his attention. Bucky grasped one of his ass cheeks, all the while grunting out colorful expletives; until they were silenced by a sharp inhalation of breath, before Loki felt his back being sprayed by cum.

Boneless and spent, Bucky suddenly collapsed onto the mattress beside him. His body heaved from the physical exertion he'd subjected himself to; and he looked absolutely gorgeous, covered in a sheen of perspiration, as he brushed his long hair away from his flushed face. Loki scooted closer to him and pressed a kiss to the red star on his left arm, before Bucky shot him a tired smile.

"Hey, you," Bucky reached forward, pushing Loki's hair away from his face.

He hummed in return, placing another kiss onto his tattoo; due to the fact, he felt oddly content and maybe a little clingy. While he hadn't been starved for platonic physical attention; he wanted nothing more than to curl up next to Bucky and kiss him, as if that would make up for his lack of a relationship now.

Fandral had been somewhat of a cuddler, although it was nothing compared to Loki. He would never admit to it; since it was contrary to his nature. But he did like to be held and stroked by feather-like touches, and have sweet nothings whispered into his ear. He just hadn't expected to want Bucky to hold him after sex; due to the fact, it was usually meant to fill one need and one need only.

Loki shifted closer to Bucky, attempting to be subtle about it. He rested his hand against his chest, and was pinned by an inquisitive stare. Bucky, however, was quick on the uptake; he didn't make any sarcastic quip or point out how uncharacteristic Loki was being. Instead he simply lifted his arm and wrapped it around his shoulders, drawing him closer.

"Don't lie on your back; we'll need to clean you up first. Then again, we can always just burn these sheets; they aren't fancy or anything. I think I got them at Bed Bath and Beyond."

"That store isn't even opened anymore."

"Well, fuck. And here I was trying to impress you; now I have to admit I bought these at some shitty superstore. Or maybe Steve bought them for me; whatever, we can toss them out anyway." Bucky kissed the top of his head, as Loki lowered it to his chest comfortably enough.

"James,"

"Hmm,"

"Thank you for everything. I know I haven't been exactly pleasant recently. Especially since I imposed myself on you so much," Loki sighed drearily, despite his contentment.

Bucky's hand found its way underneath his hair, and began to gently massage the back of his neck. His eyes were cast up to the ceiling, as if he was thinking of a way to respond appropriately.

"You can make it up to me at Pride. It's been too long since we've had a crazy weekend like the one five years ago." He kissed the top of his head again then. "Besides, I like when you're here anyway. You know I don't mind helping you out; you're my best friend, after all. And one of the most important people in my life, plus you are a pretty good lay too; and really that's all that counts."

Loki rolled his eyes dramatically, as he snaked his arm around Bucky's side; tracing the sensitive skin there. But his annoyance reared its ugly head again, when his best friend reached for the discarded TV remote control, and turned his Civil War documentary back on.

"Only missed twenty-three minutes; excellent."

"You are insufferable, I swear." Loki buried his face into his chest, smiling slightly at the chuckle that rumbled through Bucky's chest.

"Shut up and take a nap, asshole. You obviously need it."

"Insufferable bastard," He murmured in return, slowly shutting his eyes as another kiss dropped onto the top of his head; and within moments he drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter Fifteen :: A Confession of Sorts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly the response I had gotten about the last chapter was very unexpected (and not in a good way). I hadn't expected a negative response of that magnitude on either Ao3 or Tumblr; so it's kind of a miracle I've managed to crank this chapter out so quickly.
> 
> I don't even know why I have to say this, but I will anyway - this is a Frostiron story; it will always be a Frostiron story, and if you cannot handle Loki or Tony being with anyone else then I would recommend you explore the 2000 other stories on this website. I'm sorry, but I do not want a repeat of the episode from a few days ago; any and all nasty comments will be removed.
> 
> For the many people who were quick to defend the last chapter, thank you very much. I appreciate everyone's support; I'm only writing this for entertainment and who knew it would cause a such a fuss? Not me that's for sure (because honestly I wouldn't have even bothered posting it).
> 
> Negativity aside, I do hope you enjoy this chapter.

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**Chapter Fifteen :: A Confession of Sorts**

 

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It was a tepid autumn afternoon; the kind Tony found he favored and one that would usually send him outside. For the most part he stayed in his classroom during his lunch period; locking the doors and eating leftovers from the night before. Or at least he did when he and Pepper had their on-times; since she was the gourmet cook and he could easily burn water. But today was too nice to not go outside.

He sat side-by-side with Rhodey, who had so kindly brought him a greasy cheeseburger to eat, on the bleachers that faced the football field; while enjoying the slight breeze that grazed his face. It was a welcomed moment of solitude, considering the past few weeks he'd been having. Most of which involved screaming matches with Pepper, and one with dear 'ol dad too.

Pepper had come back unexpectedly. She had apologized for their previous tiff, and had wanted to make things right again. Which he hadn't been very receptive to; due to the fact that he already knew it would only last a few weeks at the most. And he really didn't want the strain of it anymore; not when his attention had been compromised by a former student.

But that too was a matter of contention; Tony didn't know how to approach the situation of Loki, and had thrown himself head-first in combating Pepper instead. He needed to, though; Pepper was a deadly opponent and he couldn't be distracted if he somehow wanted to live. So they had fought and yelled themselves hoarse for days on end; until finally the fight was over and they parted ways for now.

Tony suspected that he and Pepper were far from over. Because that's how they functioned; they fought bitterly and cruelly, but always found one another again. No one had been able to get in between them for very long; not Aldrich Killian or Natasha (or Natalie) the bartender, or even Loki Odinson.

"I'm having a bit of an identity crisis." Tony said in between bites of his cheeseburger; keeping his eyes on the field and on several students that was tossing a football around.

"I haven't noticed." Rhodey replied in his deadpan way.

"You know me and Pepper have been at each other's throats of late." He continued, once he swallowed. "She wants to get back together and I am not for it at all. Mostly because we'll end up in the same place again; the marriage talk will come up again and the baby talk too. And you know me, that's just not my scene."

Rhodey hummed in acknowledgement; already knowing how he functioned. They had been friends since their late teens, and Rhodey knew him better than anyone else. He knew Tony wasn't a commitment kind of guy, and he really wasn't enthused by the prospect of children. Especially since his own childhood had been a travesty of sorts.

"But more than that even; I kind of met someone else." He paused in between bites, and felt a weird sort of dread in the pit of his stomach begin to form. "It's nothing so far, you know. I wouldn't be opposed to, you know, getting to know one another better though."

"Then what's the problem?" Rhodey asked.

"Technically, everything is the problem. The person I'm interested in is a problem."

"Is she felon or something?"

"Like a felony would keep me away." Tony scoffed, peering sideways at his best friend.

The words seemed to be stuck in his throat suddenly. He didn't know why he found it so hard to articulate the situation to Rhodey; especially when he took into account the many things Rhodey had overlooked in the past. Nothing had dissuaded Rhodey from being Tony's best friend. Not the drunken nights, where he'd vomited on his brand new shoes and brand new car on top of that; or even when he had kissed a girl Rhodey had been serious with.

Their bond was forged from the strongest element known to man. And it was highly doubtful that Rhodey would turn his back on Tony because he had slept with a former male student. That was only a drop in the bucket; bordering on inconsequential when it came to their friendship.

"Well, what's the problem then?" Rhodey asked again, in no ways impatient but clearly curious.

"Can we keep this between each other? I don't want Happy to find out; since he'll be a real dick about it."

"Tony, when have I ever confided in Happy? I know how he is, and I wouldn't betray your trust anyway."

"Well, you know that night when we went to that stupid club?" Tony studied his half-eaten burger intensely, as if it was the Sistine Chapel.

"And you disappeared with someone?"

"Yeah, well it was one of my old students."

"What do you mean by old students? Last year old or thirteen years ago old," Rhodey peered at him curiously; although there wasn't any sort of judgment about it.

That put Tony at ease, despite already predicting the fact that Rhodey wouldn't judge him in any way. Happy, on the other hand, would have made a big stink about the student thing; by making crude jokes and trying to high-five him every few seconds. Although, his enthusiasm would undoubtedly dissipate by the knowledge that it had been a male student as opposed to a female one.

Licking the grease from his fingertips, Tony tried to think of the best way to word his response. They did have a brief conversation about Loki beforehand, but that had been tied to Baldur. Who he was still having a very hard time _not_ looking at, since he wanted to interrogate him about Loki; due in part that he was too much of a coward to actually call him.

"Not a recent student or anything; it's been about eight years." He explained. "Remember how I was telling you about a kid named Odinson, who was a real pain in the ass?"

"I remember."

"Yeah, well it's sort of his brother." He took a huge bite of his burger; in order to keep any other words from filtering out of his mouth.

There were so many things he wanted to say about Loki, none of which would be appropriate either. He wanted to tell Rhodey how strangely beautiful he was; how his wit was sharp as a tack, and how amazingly sexy he was when stripped down and bent over and exposed himself to Tony. And god, he had felt incredible too.

"That's the big reveal?" Rhodey suddenly snorted. "Tony, I've known you long enough _not_ to be surprised by your antics. I didn't expect that response, but by no means am I surprised."

"I'm that transparent?" He quirked his eyebrow, despite feeling the anxiety seep out of his body.

Tony really didn't know how anxious-ridden he was, until Rhodey had replied. Then again, Rhodey was one of the few people that had stuck by him through thick and thin, and never judged him regardless of the offense. So really this was only stereotypical Rhodey behavior; he heard about Tony's outrageous antics and wasn't even affected by them in the slightest.

"I wouldn't call it transparent, no." Rhodey shook his head with a smile. "You just march to the beat of a different drum. And really what did you expect me to say; something homophobic and disgusting?"

"James," Tony turned to face him fully. "I really don't know what I'm doing. I think I need some advice."

The situation honestly befuddled him. Women were complex creatures all within themselves, but Loki was a different anomaly altogether. Loki had given him several different signals during their brief acquaintanceship; much of which had been hot and heavy and blatantly sexual. Then he quickly changed his tune and declared they shouldn't continue onward anymore.

Tony didn't know how to approach Loki at all. He had toyed with the idea of sending him a text message more than once; but he always chickened out, and had Pepper breathing down his neck at the same time. So he had put it on the backburner until it became impossible to ignore.

"I don't know if I'm fully equipped to give advice on this topic, Tony." Rhodey crumbled up his cheeseburger's wrapping and tossed it into the empty fast food bag between them. "But I can try nonetheless."

"I mean, I might gross you out."

"I'm friends with Happy; I've heard everything in too much detail before. Not to mention I'm in the Air Force; you don't know downright disgusting people are until you've been in the company of guys who've been away from home for a few years."

"Well, okay." Tony cleared his throat. "So when I initially had that parent-teacher conference with him; Loki was laying it on pretty thick. Meaning he was really flirting with me, and I kind of reciprocated, you know. Because that's what I do – I flirt back; but anyway, I kind of found myself attracted to him and so when I saw him at that club I just went crazy."

"I imagine the feelings were mutual."

"That's the thing; we had a pretty good time together, and I didn't even kick him out afterwards. He spent the night and I left him in my bed, when I was getting ready for work. It didn't even cross my mind to ask him to leave. But he did leave, when I was in the shower and I was actually a little wounded by it."

"So in other words, your ex-student might have just wanted a one nightstand with you." Rhodey smirked slightly.

That had crossed Tony's mind more than once. Loki had made his intentions pretty clear; he had wanted Tony to fuck him and that's exactly what he had done. But in the process, he had scared him away over the whole condom debacle; and well, Tony had only remembered to get tested again a few days ago, since he had briefly toyed with the idea of bedding Pepper again.

Truth be told, he hadn't necessarily thought he would be attracted Loki beyond a bout of experimentation. He hadn't had any predilection towards men beforehand; although Loki's brain was a very alluring factor for him. There was something infinitely sexy about someone smart; which was initially why he was attracted to Pepper, well and her killer legs too.

"If he just wanted a one nightstand, would he have had phone sex with me? You know the same night I left you guys downstairs to barbecue." Tony turned his gaze towards the field again; feeling suddenly uncomfortable since he could make out the youngest Odinson brother sitting on a patch of grass with a group of underachievers so much like himself.

But to Baldur's credit, the kid had really been working hard for his partial credit. So much so, he had actually gotten a passable grade on the last test Tony had given; he'd gotten a seventy-four percent, a vast improvement from his abysmal thirty-nine that spurred on this whole situation from the get-go.

"At least you ditched us for a reason." Rhodey made a face. "Although, I have to admit I don't see why you need my advice. It seems like you have everything handled on your front."

"Well, we had a bit of a problem. I didn't use a condom and he freaked."

"Rightfully so; you should be freaked too."

"Why? I know I'm clean and Pepper's clean." He took a hearty bite of his burger again. "And logically speaking, Loki must be clean because why would he have freaked that much?"

"Okay it is logical, but you have to admit it should be a cause for concern."

"I understand why he freaked out, but I kind of calmed him down about it. So that's how we ended up in the phone sex situation. But afterwards, he admitted he was high and he shouldn't have called me in the first place."

"Which brings me back to my original statement – he just wanted a one nightstand with you, Tony. The phone sex was just a bonus, I guess you could say." Rhodey shrugged. "And obviously you don't want it to stay at a one nightstand status. You're looking for something more."

Tony shut his eyes; he had known internally what he wanted, but it was oddly embarrassing having it vocalized by his best friend. It made it that much more real, when Rhodey said it so matter-of-factly. And he really didn't know how to even broach the topic with Loki. Or even if it would be a welcomed conversation with all things considering.

"This has never happened to me before; not after one night anyway. Not even with Pepper."

"The only thing you can do is contact him casually and go from there. You can't pile it on him right away; you'll scare him off. And he obviously already had a big scare with you in terms of potential STDs. So be casual and friendly; don't try and proposition him right off the bat. Be smart about it." Rhodey reached out to pat him on the shoulder, before he stood from the bleachers. "I better get going; I'm sure you'll have to head back to your classroom soon too. But we're cool, Tony; this doesn't change anything with me, okay."

"If I was full-blown gay, you'd be my boyfriend, Rhodey." Tony batted his eyelashes; chewing on the last remnants of his burger. "I'd take you to New York or Connecticut or Rhode Island and marry you."

"And a lucky man I would be." Rhodey rolled his eyes, patting his shoulder again, as he reached for the fast food bag to throw it away. "I'll see you later."

"Thanks for the food." Tony watched Rhodey climb down the bleachers; only turning his attention away when he disappeared.

He licked his fingers clean again and crumbled his burger's wrapping, before reaching into his pocket to take out his cellphone. After unlocking the screen and tapping in his newly added passcode; he brought up his text messages and scrolled down to _Sweet Cheeks_. Once their previous conversation cropped onto the screen; Tony took a deep breath and typed out a harmless message that couldn't be characterized as pushy at all.

It took a huge amount of courage just to press the send option, but he did it nonetheless and felt an unpleasant sensation in the pit of his stomach. He really wondered if Loki would reply or not; albeit he could only wish for the best, as he got up to head back to his classroom. Because really who could be offended by a message that said: _Hey it's Tony; just wanted to see how you were. :)_

Then again he was dealing with Loki Odinson, and god only knew what offended him.


	17. Chapter Sixteen :: Playing With Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never got the opportunity to write some bonding between Loki and Frigga, but I'm managed sneak a bit into this chapter. :)

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**Chapter Sixteen :: Playing With Fire**

 

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The Odinson kitchen table had been slowly consumed by paper. Loki sat at the center of the invasion, flipping carelessly through a manuscript; while also peering at his open laptop computer from time to time. He'd been working off and on for the past several hours, and had accomplished a lot more than he thought he would; considering his entire life was still in limbo.

He had yet to hear from Fandral; despite his incessant phone calls and text messages. He had even made a stop at their joint apartment, only to find Fandral gone, which was the biggest indicator that things were not salvageable. So he had packed up his remaining possessions, and left behind the apartment keys.

It was a bittersweet end to a relationship that was flawed, but the only one he had really known. His feelings for Fandral weren't any different than they were before the whole debacle had taken place. He still loved him and wanted it to desperately work somehow; yet he knew the situation was toxic. Bucky had made it perfectly clear to him that Fandral would never be faithful to him, because he would always desire the company of women. And that was something he couldn't handle anymore; it was something he shouldn't have to either.

"Darling, you've been working for hours." His mother suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway with an exasperated smile. "You look exhausted."

"I'm fine." Loki muttered dismissively. "Besides, I have to finish all of this before your youngest son comes back from school. He needs my help in chemistry."

"You'll have plenty of time to help Baldur." His mother insisted, although he didn't heed her advice; not when he had so much to do and very little patience to accomplish it in.

Since Loki was now painfully aware of the fact that he and Fandral were over; he needed to invest time in apartment hunting too. While Bucky had been more than accommodating, he couldn't imagine himself staying there more than what was absolutely necessary. And moving back into the family home wasn't an option either.

No one would object to it, he knew that; the Odinson home was plenty large enough to house a mob. Not to mention both his and Thor's old bedrooms hadn't been changed very much either. Their mother was sentimental and maybe a little hopeful that they would have to come back home; which Loki had always wanted to avoid on all counts, lest he be dubbed as a failure.

"Loki, have you been taking care of yourself?" Frigga asked, before she slid elegantly into the seat beside him. "Or for that matter, has Fandral been taking care of you?"

"I'm an adult; Fandral doesn't have to take care of me." He returned sharply, probably too sharply to go unnoticed.

Then again, Frigga was always in-tune to any distress her children might have felt. It was impossible to hide it from her, despite Loki trying his best to do so. The only way he'd hidden his irrational panic of contracting a sexually transmitted disease was by distancing himself beyond the occasional telephone call or email.

"What's wrong?" Frigga asked in a serious tone; one that meant she wouldn't take anything aside from the truth. "And I rather you not lie to me either."

Loki gritted his teeth, while tossing the manuscript to the table with a thud. He had hoped that he could withhold the truth from everyone for a while. At least until he knew exactly what was going on himself; since he had only officially moved out less than two days ago.

Ideally he would have liked to be moved into his new apartment and completely settled, before breaking the news to his family that things were over between him and Fandral. But that obviously wasn't an option any longer.

"Fandral and I broke things off. It's over." He said tersely; all the while keeping his eyes on the litter of paper that spilled across the tabletop.

Almost like clockwork, his mother's hand furled around the bend of his elbow; it was a comforting and familiar gesture. One Frigga oftentimes used during hard times; Loki had had many uncomfortable conversations with his mother over the years. Mostly revolving around his sexuality and the unsavory comments and sometimes abuse he had been subjected to in school. So he remembered the gesture well; too well even.

Things had been terribly bad, when he ever-so-haughtily came out of the closet. He hadn't done it with any finesse but what teenager had any to begin with anyway? He had screamed it across the dinner table during a holiday meal, and he found himself almost immediately shipped away to Europe for a year soon thereafter. Which had hardly been a punishment, since it had been an all-boys school; and he had had several intense sexual experiences within a month of being enrolled there.

"I'm sorry to hear that, darling." Frigga squeezed his arm in a way that had an oddly soothing effect about it. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later; he was essentially straight anyway." He muttered, although that knowledge hadn't taken the sting out of the break-up.

Fandral's sexuality hadn't been the direct cause for the demise of their relationship though. It had been Loki's stupid decision to bed his former chemistry and physics teacher without using protection. But even more than that, said teacher had somehow gotten his cellphone number; and he had yet to figure out how that had happened. Unless, of course, Tony had toyed with his cellphone when he'd been asleep, which seemed to be plausible.

"But I'm sure it still hurts nonetheless. You were together for several years, after all."

"It doesn't matter anymore; it's over."

"Maybe you'd feel better if you talked about it, darling."

"I rather not," Loki snorted derisively; seeing as the situation wasn't one you openly talked about to your mother.

While they were very close, closer than either Thor or Baldur were to her; Loki rarely spoke about his relationship with Fandral to Frigga or anyone really. Bucky was an exception, though. Then again, Bucky was an exception in everything.

"I think you do want to talk about it. But I also think you're afraid that I'll judge you." Frigga scooted her chair closer to his. "And you know better than anyone that I'd never do that, Loki. I know for a fact you have a predilection for bottling up your emotions unhealthily too. So I'd rather you talk to me than not."

"Mother, rest assured you do not want to know the inner workings of my relationship."

"Try me."

"Mother," he shot her a sideways look, and saw that iron-clad determination of hers etched onto her pretty and regal features.

Loki really didn't have any desire to air out his dirty laundry to anyone beyond Bucky. Bucky was just the type of person that understood him from the inside-out. There wasn't any judgment passed; in fact, Bucky was unfazed by almost everything. Although, he might have quirked an eyebrow if Loki suddenly declared a newfound interest in women; since that was completely out of character. And even so, Bucky wouldn't say an offensive thing about it; he would have just gone along with it like he did with everything else.

Telling your mother, regardless of how open-minded she was, was another matter altogether. But the look on her face made it very clear she wouldn't leave him alone until he said something to appease her.

"Like I said, Fandral is mostly straight." He sighed, blindly picking up another manuscript from the pile. "So we had an arrangement of sorts."

"An arrangement," she repeated, before the sentiment sunk in. "Oh, Loki."

"You wanted to hear about it; I really didn't want to share it."

"Loki, how could you?"

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything." He shot her an annoyed look.

"How could you think so little of yourself?" Frigga squeezed his arm gently. "You deserve better than that. If Fandral couldn't see that, then I'm happy that you are no longer together. Because you, darling, are not second best to anyone. You should be with someone who sees how precious you truly are."

The realization slowly seeped into his brain, what his mother was saying. He found it hard to keep his mouth closed by the reverence in which she spoke about him. Of course, it was a mother's duty to defend her children; so this wasn't any different. But it didn't stop him from wanting to protest her claim either.

"Don't you dare pick apart my words, Loki; I can see you doing that right now."

"It's a lovely sentiment, Mother. But it's hardly realistic."

"You don't think there's someone out there that wouldn't adore you completely?" Frigga sounded astonished. "My darling, you have no idea how wonderful you are. And I would know this firsthand; when I first laid eyes on you all those years ago, I had fallen absolutely in love with you. I'd seen many babies and toddlers for weeks on end, but you Loki were so beautiful and perfect; it took my breath away."

Loki peered at her almost wearily; he had heard the story of his adoption many times. In fact, he had loved to hear it when he was younger. Mostly for he could goad about how he was chosen, whereas the family had gotten stuck with Thor, and hadn't any choice but to keep him.

The story never changed either, which only meant it was the truth. Even now Loki couldn't deny the sincerity in his mother's voice; despite his desire to be petulant and ornery. And yet it was still hard to believe anyone else could possibly view him like some precious gem like his mother did. She was his mother, after all; not some sleazy guy he came across in a rambunctious bar on a Friday night.

"So never question your self-worth again, do you understand me?"

"You did pick me; you just got stuck with Thor and Baldur." He replied in a deadpan tone.

"But that doesn't mean I love them any less."

"You chose me, though."

"And I would expect a very nice young man to choose you in the same fashion." Frigga reached up and cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. "You deserve better than that, darling. You and I both know it."

Loki smiled tightly at her, but chose not to contest her words. He knew it would be a losing battle anyway; although he felt temporarily compelled to tell her how the break-up was his fault. Except that would mean admitting to sleeping with his former teacher without protection, and he'd never hear the end of it; his mother would lecture for him for hours on end, and make him feel worse because of it.

"Never doubt your worth, my love." Frigga pressed a kiss to his forehead, before she patted his cheeks and stood from her seat. "I'm going to make you something to eat. I can only imagine you haven't eaten recently."

"Since yesterday," he admitted, as he turned back to his work; and heard the familiar vibration of his smart phone somewhere underneath the sea of paperwork.

Sorting through the many piles, Loki eventually unearthed his phone. He flicked it on, ignoring his mother's growing tirade about taking better care of himself; and was taken aback to see he had a message from Tony. The same Tony who he had assumed had taken his words to heart; which he couldn't exactly say he was thrilled about.

Of course, he could recognize the selfishness on wanting both to be left alone by his former teacher; while simultaneously wanting to be pursued by him too. He wasn't that dense or unaware of his irrational tendencies; so it was no surprise he brought up the message, and read over it slowly.

It was harmless message, friendly even. Well, friendly by other people's standards. If Bucky had messaged him; he would have called him an asshole, and might have sent him a dick picture just for shits and giggles. But no one was exactly like Bucky either.

 _"I'm positively delightful."_ He typed out and sent it; drawn back into his mother's rant about the importance of eating three meals a day.

"Speaking of which, where are you staying now?" Frigga asked, as she pulled out several food items from the refrigerator. "You know you can always stay here; I'd love if you would, darling."

"I'm temporarily staying with Bucky,"

"How is James by the way? I hope he hasn't gotten any more tattoos."

"Keiko finished his sleeve a couple of months ago." He replied distractedly, seeing as his phone went off with another message.

_"My phone is literally oozing with sarcasm; I'm trying to stop it from dribbling everywhere. You might have to send for help."_

_"You know me so well, Mr. Stark."_ Loki couldn't help but smile, replying within a matter of seconds.

Shifting his attention away from his phone again, he half-listened to his mother talk. She had chosen to abandon her talk about healthy eating and went onto her trademark tirade about her distaste of tattoos, and how Loki effectively marred his body unnecessarily. And that would have annoyed him, had he really given her words any attention; except he found himself in possession of another text message from Tony.

_"I'd like to know you better. In a platonic way, of course,"_

_"I rather not befriend my former teacher; sorry."_

_"Ouch; I am great company, kid."_

_"If I wanted to spend time with the elderly; I would visit a nursing home."_ He smiled wider than before, and felt an odd sort of delight bubble up in him.

Much of the past few weeks had been very stressful; he hadn't really enjoyed life very much, despite being with Bucky the majority of the time. He hadn't found any amusement in much of anything; so he had to admit Tony was a pleasant reprieve from everyday life. And he found he missed Tony's banter; despite only being on the receiving end of it a couple of times over the past few weeks.

_"Fine, if you want to play that way – what are you wearing?"_

_"Absolutely nothing in the middle of the afternoon, with my mother cooking behind me,"_

_"Kinky family; I like that."_

_"Shouldn't you be teaching right now?"_

_"Speaking of kinky family; your little brother's in my class right now. They're testing, though. I have free reign to do whatever I please."_

_"How unprofessional,"_ Loki typed back, close to setting his phone down before it vibrated again.

_"For not staring lovingly at the kiddies' downturned heads, you mean? FYI – you're a pretty good teacher; your brother's been doing a hell of a lot better. I wonder if you could teach me anything, though."_

Loki knew it; it was bound to come full circle eventually. If anything that should have been the end of the conversation; he should have shown some sort of restraint, especially since toying with another allegedly straight man was a headache in the making. But the indulgent side of him couldn't stop himself from typing out a reply.

 _"I've been told I am exceptionally good at sucking cock."_ He sent it before he could second guess himself; since he imagined he'd kick himself for it later.

_"Double dog dare you to prove it."_

_"You'll regret those words, Stark."_

_"TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU."_

_"You're on."_ Loki was struck by sudden exhilaration; the bad kind that frequently got him into messy situations.

It was apparent that Tony was only trying to rile him up; tease him if you will. He had acted similarly while in class; he would nudge and prod his students, and relentlessly tease them until they folded. And that had been all fun and games then; but this was on an entirely different level.

He was definitely playing with fire, and for some reason he found himself really _not_ caring about it. Something wanted him to get up from his mess of paperwork and drive to the high school, and prove to his former teacher how daring he really was.

"I'll be right back." He shoved away from the table, snagging his car keys from the top of several manuscripts. "Business related stuff,"

"I just started to make you something to eat."

"I'll be back within the hour, I promise." Loki strode across the kitchen, planting a kiss to the side his mother's head; and barreled out the door before he could be further interrogated.

Once he crossed the lawn to the driveway and climbed into the inside of his jeep; he then typed out a message to Bucky, whom would inevitably get a kick out of his stupidity. Because really who else could he convey his stupidity to if it wasn't to his best friend?

_"I'm about to fulfill one of my biggest fantasies; details later."_

_"So you're finally ready to become Mr. James Buchanan Barnes? Let me call Steve; he has to be there for the wedding."_ Bucky shot back to him within a minute or so, and Loki could only roll his eyes good-humoredly as he backed out of the driveway.

Regardless of this potentially being a horrible mistake in the making; Loki anticipated something pleasurable in the end. But even more than that, he was looking forward to Tony's utter shock by his appearance; and to prove to him that no one dared Loki Odinson to do anything, unless they wanted to see the end results of that dare.


	18. Chapter Seventeen :: An Unexpected Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The brilliant idea for this chapter came from **Yeah_um_no** ; I wouldn't have thought of it myself, so many thanks! :) Although, I don't know if I did it any justice; so I'm sorry if it's lackluster.

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**Chapter Seventeen :: An Unexpected Surprise**

 

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Subtlety had never been Tony's forte; he had always been bold and unapologetic, oftentimes described as a real pain in the ass too. So it wasn't very surprising that he had forgone the friendly route, and delved head-first into dirty talk when it came to Loki. But to be honest, he'd been provoked and his boldness had paid off in spades.

Loki had been receptive to his flirtations; he had even been forthcoming with one of his sexual talents, which conjured up many obscene fantasies in his mind's eye. It hadn't been very appropriate while in the middle of class; especially since Tony had to spend the duration of the period, running theorems through his head to keep his body under control.

Now, however, he allowed himself time to reflect on the text messages that they sent to one another. The final bell had rung ten minutes earlier, and his class had practically turned into a stampede to get out into the hallway. Lucky for them he had been too distracted to assign any homework, but he'd make up for it later and probably in the way that would make them groan and whine.

Robotically, Tony cleaned the white board and tried to think of a good reply to send to Loki. He hadn't continued the contact, once he'd received that bold statement of _you're on_ ; since he really didn't think it was wise to cajole Loki any further. Of course, he didn't expect anything to come from it; it had been a stupid bit of flirtation that had gotten out of hand again. Although, he couldn't exactly say he regretted it; not when he imagined the pleasurable alone time he'd be having once he was at home.

He just wished he handled the situation better; he should have had heeded Rhodey's advice. Instead of jumping back onto the saddle, and probably into the same mess he had gotten himself into previously. Since he did want to pursue more than a sexual rendezvous with Loki, and he figured it would be hard to parlay what they were currently engaged in into a couple of dates.

"Idiot," Tony scoffed aloud, erasing a greeting one of his females students had drawn on the white board when he'd been out of the room; happy face and all.

"I would most certainly agree, with all due respect." A smooth and cool voice said from behind him, and Tony felt his whole body go rigid in surprise.

There was really no denying who that voice belonged to. Tony's heart leapt into his throat, while a familiar warmth began to form in the pit of his stomach. Slowly he swiveled on his heel, greeted by the sight of Loki Odinson in all his glory. His former student eyed him like he was a slab of meat, ready to be gobbled down whole. And if his sexual talent was anything to go by, the comparison wasn't very far from the truth.

Loki meandered further into the classroom, before he made a show of climbing onto Tony's desk and sitting down on it with his legs obscenely parted. His black denim jeans left very little to the imagination; they were snug in the thighs and crotch area, and inadvertently emphasized Loki's assets. Tony vaguely recalled how big Loki was, but he hadn't been given the opportunity to appreciate it very much which was a shame.

"What are you doing here, Odinson?" He asked, while setting aside the dry eraser and putting it into the tray that ran the length of the white board.

"How quickly you've forgotten," Loki clucked his tongue, leaning back onto his hands. "I hope when I'm your age I won't be that forgetful; it'll be a shame and a waste."

"I haven't forgotten anything. Not a single thing." Tony pushed aside his chair, so he could broach the distance them and stand between Loki's outspread legs. "I distinctly remember triple dog daring you to prove your special ability to me, if you want to call it that."

Tony studied Loki from head to toe. His former student was all in black again; he wore a thin cotton tee-shirt emblazed with the word _Zero_ in white, and a pair of riding boots that were scuffed at the toes. His colorful mural of tattoos always had a way of drawing Tony's attention; although he hadn't been able to discern any of them until now.

The centerpiece of Loki's tattoos was a fierce looking wolf and not a cartoonish one either. Whoever tattooed him and done an incredible job; it looked like a photograph had been superimposed onto his skin.

"Sit," Loki spoke softly, lifting his leg and grazed it against Tony's thigh. "I intend on teaching you an invaluable lesson, Mr. Stark."

Wordlessly but compliantly, Tony slunk back and plopped down into his chair. It creaked underneath him, although everything creaked or groaned around here. Public schools weren't exactly funded particularly well; not theirs anyway. But it was far from the worst one in the district; Tony considered himself lucky to have a chair that just whined under his weight, rather than gave way and sent him toppling to the floor.

Once he was seated, Loki climbed back to his feet and smirked at him. One of his hands reached forward and tousled Tony's hair and slowly began to massage his scalp; while the other hand traced its way down the side of his face. It was tender motion, far different than how they normally interacted with one another.

Tony shut his eyes and reveled in the way Loki traced small circles against his scalp; before his fingers slid away and moved against the other side of his face. Both his hands stroked his cheeks and danced downward to run across his facial hair that he'd taken great care to maintain. He was uncommonly relaxed, which he supposed was the point of Loki's ministrations; since being tightly wound would inevitably ruin the moment.

Before long Tony felt Loki's towering presence taper away, and sink down between his outspread knees. He opened his eyes and sucked in a breath by the expression his former student was boring into him. Lust seemed to consume Loki whole; his pupils were dilated and his stare intense. Even the tight line of his mouth seemed to suggest that he was overwhelmed by it.

"This is a really bad idea." Tony chuckled, shifting back into his chair as Loki's hands grazed the inside of his thighs. "Realistically speaking, of course; but this is Penthouse Forum fodder, you know."

"Do you want me to leave?" Loki pushed open Tony's legs further and dragged his nails into the fabric of his black trousers. "Because that could very well be arranged,"

"I said it was a bad idea, I didn't say I wanted you to stop."

"Might I remind you, you are the cause for this." Loki bent his head to nuzzle his thigh, which sent a swell of arousal through Tony's body.

His cock stirred and threatened to harden by the action; only made worse by the mischievous glint in Loki's eyes and the appearance of his tongue from in between his lips. Loki remained crouched between his legs; long-limbed and oddly arachnid in his stance, but beautiful all the same.

"Loki Odinson can't stand to lose a dare," Tony clutched the arms of his chair, feeling suddenly breathless as his former student nosed his inner thigh. "That's good to know for future references, of course."

"Of course," Loki practically purred, as he pressed his face directly against his groin.

Tony made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, in hopes of trying to keep some semblance of dignity still. Although, if he were truly honest with himself; dignity and arousal never coincided in his life before, and he highly doubted that it would happen currently. Due in part to the fact that he was doing something morally and professionally wrong; anyone could walk in at any moment, to find Loki nuzzling his hardening cock unapologetically.

And that was the only way to describe Loki's current actions – unapologetic. His poison green eyes twinkled with excitement, and his face split into a smile that was sly and pleased. He rubbed his cheek against Tony's groin with the perfect pressure and friction; demanding that Tony's cock awaken, and it had always been obedient with others and a traitor to Tony.

"I've always imagined this." Loki slid his hands down Tony's legs gradually, almost torturously. "You don't know how many times I wanted to crawl underneath your desk and take you into my mouth. To feel you down my throat and taste every inch of you; every hard, thick inch,"

The words were almost obstructed by Tony's crotch, but he managed to hear every word of it nonetheless. And that was an accelerant to the already rapidly growing fire in the pit of his stomach. To know that one of his former pupils had sat in his class, and wanted to do nefarious things to him was both queer and exciting. But since it was Loki, Tony found it nothing short of exciting.

"I touched myself so often to that thought, you don't even know." Loki moaned, while curling his fingers around his calves and hiking up his pants' legs unintentionally. "I never sucked a real man's cock before; only boys and they were awfully disappointing. But you, Mr. Stark, I knew you would choke me with your cock and make me beg for it."

"You want to choke on it, huh?" Tony rasped in return, tightening his grip on the armrests.

"Oh yes."

"Can your pretty little mouth handle it?" He reached down and took Loki by the chin, and forced him to raise his head. "Your poor asshole hardly could. It was spread wide open and sloppy after I fucked you."

Loki keened and stripped bare of his former cockiness. At that moment, Tony knew Loki only wanted to fulfill his teenage fantasy, which was erotic beyond rhyme or reason. And he wanted him to swallow down his cock until he gagged and whimpered in submission.

"Please, Mr. Stark." Loki dragged his hands up his legs, until they settled onto his knees. "Make me take it."

That was when Tony realized they had stumbled into the fantasy. Loki was the needy, eager to please student who wanted Tony to fuck his mouth; and Tony was that authoritative figure once more. He was the one in charge again, instead of being the one dancing to Loki's melody.

"Open up then." He humored him in that strict and severe tone he oftentimes adopted when he spoke to his students; before he pressed his thumb between the seam of Loki's slowly opening lips.

He pressed his thumb between Loki's lips and across the smooth curve of his teeth; until he dipped into Loki's saliva-slick mouth. Loki flicked his tongue across the pad of Tony's thumb, which sent a sharp pang of heat into his groin. His hips bucked and he made a guttural noise, as Loki began to suck on his thumb wantonly.

But Tony should have known any obedience was feigned. Loki's hands found their way to his belt and toyed with it until he unbuckled it with ease. Within a few moments, Loki had made quick use of the button of his trousers too and began to glide the zipper down to expose Tony's navy blue boxer briefs and the bulge underneath them.

"Eager to have your teacher's cock down your throat, aren't you?" Tony groaned, pulling his thumb out of Loki's mouth; which was thoroughly coated in saliva now.

For some reason Tony was compelled to take his thumb into his own mouth. He sucked away Loki's taste and was pleased to find that Loki had pinned him with a hungry look. Which evolved into sudden impatience on Loki's part; he plopped unceremoniously onto his knees, and pressed open mouth kisses against his still clothed erection.

Tony grabbed onto the armrest again, holding on for dear life. Loki's clever tongue shot out and licked over the curve of his cock, before he implemented his teeth into the mix. He nipped along the shaft and drew a harsh noise out of Tony's throat.

"Oh shit," he tilted his hips forward, in hopes of prolonging the sweet torture that his former student was subjecting him to.

Unsurprisingly, Loki upped the ante quickly by delivering a firm but harmless bite to the head of his cock. Tony's body went rigid and he felt his cock twitch and dribble with precum. He closed his eyes again, giving Loki permission to continue the love bites and other magnificent tricks he was performing on him. Although he knew for a fact it would feel so much better without his underwear in between them.

Just as he was about to suggest the removal of the offending garment; Loki surprised him again by yanking hard on the curve of the armrests, and slowly drew him forward while he moved backwards. Before long Tony was seated in front of his desk with Loki hidden from view underneath it. And that drew an abrupt, breathless laugh out of him for some reason.

Loki was clearly devoted to his fantasy, and Tony didn't find any reason not to indulge him. Especially since he bit at the head of his cock again, which flooded his whole body with a pleasurable warmth.

"God, you're a tease." He threw back his head by Loki's continued ministrations; feeling as if his body might very well succumb prematurely to the sensations he was feeling.

Maybe Loki sensed it or maybe he could hear the desperation in his voice; either way, he expertly reached into Tony's underwear and drew him out into his loose embrace. And the sensation was electric; Tony's cock twitched against the warmth of Loki's palm, and he practically keened by the lazy strokes Loki soon began to administrate on him.

"So thick," Loki murmured as he jerked his hand upwards and squeezed.

"I think you have a love affair with my girth." Tony chuckled breathlessly.

"You're the thickest I've ever had." Loki admitted, before his thumb began to tease the slit of Tony's cock. "I always wanted someone this thick; to suck and fuck. I want to fuck myself on your cock until I scream. And I'm hardly a screamer, Mr. Stark."

"That can be arranged, depending on how good you are at sucking my dick." Tony raised his hips, gasping as Loki clenched him in his hand; before easing the pressure and returning to the lazy and unrushed strokes he first adopted.

"I think," Loki grazed his tongue along the underside of Tony's cock suddenly. "I'll show you exactly how good I am."

Loki licked at the engorged head of his cock, in a way that was probably reminiscent of someone licking a lollipop; which roused another wave of heat inside of Tony. He only wished he could see Loki's brilliant tongue shoot out from his between his lips, and watch him pleasure him with zeal. But those thoughts seeped out of his head, as Loki wrapped his lips around the head of cock, and sucked him into his mouth.

The sensation was a familiar one; Tony had had his cock sucked more times than he could count, by far more women than he even cared to try and count. Some blowjobs he'd experienced had been extraordinary feats of the human mouth, whereas some were downright awful; the majority had been mediocre at best, but whatever Loki was doing with his tongue was beyond comprehension.

Tony held onto the chair's armrests even tighter than before, consumed by unmatched ecstasy. That clever tongue swirled around the head of his cock; pressing and prodding at the most sensitive bits of his anatomy until he sunk further down, and welcomed him bit by bit into his mouth. And then Loki moaned obscenely around him, which only heightened his progressively building pleasure.

But what really made Tony pant was how he knew that Loki's mouth was being stretched beyond its capacity. He had witnessed plenty of women as they had blown him, and their mouths had always been stuffed and stretched to the point of discomfort. Pepper always hated to suck him off, since it left her with a creak in her jaw and somewhat of a sore throat.

So the image he conjured up in his head, of Loki's mouth stuffed and his cheeks desperately hollowed out; only made the situation so much better than it was beforehand. Albeit the languid licks that Loki administrated to his shaft drew him away from his wandering thoughts, and brought him smack-dab back into the present; which proved to be the best place to be in the whole wide world.

Loki swallowed around him, seemingly adjusting himself to the sheer width of Tony in his mouth; and then began to suck on him without any hesitation whatsoever. The pace he adopted was slow and sensual; his tongue swirled and laved at the underside of his cock, while he bobbed his head up and down. His hand took Tony in hand by the base, which granted him further control of the situation.

Tony dropped his head back against the head rest of his chair, and reveled in the hot mouth around him. His former student began to suck harder and make wanton noises around him; which sent vibrations throughout his erection. He groaned loudly and lifted his hips ever-so-slightly, urging Loki to try and consume him whole.

"Jesus Christ," Tony hissed out, as Loki somehow sunk further down on his length; only to cause his gag reflex to come into play. It didn't deter him, though; Tony felt the head of his cock brush the back of Loki's throat, and cursed colorfully when he once more swallowed around him.

Loki squeezed the base of his cock as he gave Tony a mighty suck. He temporarily saw an explosion of light across his eyes, the equivalent of stars; and he couldn't help but roll his hips and chase that high. Except Loki was already doing his best to push him overboard; his tongue continued to lap at him, and tease him until he was heady with need for release.

Deliberately slow, that talented mouth slid up his length; before it slipped away entirely. Loki gasped out in a stuttering breath; wet and moist against Tony's sensitive skin, and then pressed open mouthed kisses down the side of his cock.

"Damn, fuck," Tony released the armrest and reached down to tangle his fingers into Loki hair. "Baby, that's good; really good."

"I love your cock." Loki rasped out, as he kissed the tip sensuously; it was a shame that Tony couldn't witness it.

"No words needed, babe; action."

"Demanding," Loki chuckled but took Tony easily back into his mouth.

The sensation made Tony shudder and groan, and sent him head-first into the toe curling feeling Loki had been subjecting him to. This time, however, there wasn't any slow build-up; Loki sucked him hard and persistently and without pause. Tony held onto his hair, no doubt tight enough to hurt, but he didn't care as much as he should have. He was too drunk on the pleasure to care.

Something broke him from the moment, though. So unexpected and unwelcome, Tony almost ripped Loki away from him. His eyes snapped open and heard that rapping again on his door; which even caused Loki to pause with his cock firmly in his mouth.

"Yeah," Tony somehow called out, only sounding slightly breathless and fucked out.

The door was pushed open, and it took all of his willpower to sit straight up in his seat; which sent him deeper down Loki's throat, since he had yet to release him. He tugged sharply on his hair and caused him to grunt, and made Tony almost cry out in pleasure. But he managed to swallow it, especially when he saw who decided to interrupt him.

Baldur Odinson walked in, unfazed by what he walked into; which was a good sign. At least Tony didn't look like he had someone's mouth wrapped around his dick; more specifically Baldur's older brother's mouth wrapped around his dick. Yet it didn't make it any less mortifying; someone had walked in on him and Loki, and it just so happened to be Baldur.

He knew this had been a bad idea from the get-go, but his lust overshadowed his common sense. And to be honest, that was pretty much an ongoing theme in his life.

"Hey, Mr. Stark,"

"Odinson, what do you need?" Tony swallowed hard, diverting his gaze to a point over Baldur's shoulder.

"I forgot to hand this in to you at the end of class. I finished another packet." Baldur placed the homework packet onto Tony's desk. "And I wanted to check on my grade; you know to make sure I'm still on track."

Just as he was about to reply in turn, Loki started to bob his head slowly. Tony's cock sunk in and out of his mouth, which made him temporarily go stupid. Everything he had ever known had been whitewashed out of his brain; replaced instead by that amazingly wet mouth and his cock's need to come down that even more compliant throat.

His hand clenched unforgivingly into Loki's hair; threatening, begging, for him to stop. But that only spurred him on further and made functionality impossible. He could only stare ahead, biting down onto his lip, and try not to moan or just fuck into Loki's mouth like he deserved.

"Mr. Stark, are you okay?" Baldur asked.

"Oh, yeah; I'm great, super even." Tony stammered. "What was the question again?"

"I wanted to check on my grade."

"Your grade," he repeated, almost crying out by the sudden speed in which Loki began to move up and down his cock with. "I, I don't have it yet. G-Give me, give me until the end of the week."

"Are you're sure you're okay? You kind of look sweaty and red."

"Never better," Tony gripped Loki's hair tighter; feeling his release rush onto him out of nowhere. "Or not, I think, food poisoning, probably, maybe, yeah."

"Well, I hope you don't puke everywhere; especially not on my homework." Baldur frowned but didn't seem to want to hang around for more than what was absolutely necessary. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Stark."

"S-so long, Odinson," he gritted his teeth so hard it hurt; since Loki was sinking further down his cock than he had previously.

Baldur shot him a concerned look, maybe feigned concern, before he returned the way he came. Once he was out of the classroom, having shut the door with an audible click behind him; Tony allowed himself to choke out a sob that had so desperately wanted to escape him. Which, in turn, only made Loki work harder and faster; he sucked on him as if his life depended on it, and it felt like heaven.

"Oh you fucker, you son of a bitch," Tony arched back into his chair, helplessly trying to kick his feet out so he could roll away from that devious mouth. "Ah, that was y-your brother!"

That statement had little to no effect on Loki, though. Of course, his younger brother's hadn't even dissuaded him from sucking Tony's dick. So the confirmation, further confirmation anyway, that Baldur had been in the room really didn't faze him whatsoever.

Loki moaned around Tony, and slid away several moments later with a wet pop. Tony grunted by losing the sensation when he'd been painfully close, but he couldn't articulate it properly. Not when Loki shoved him backwards and reappeared from underneath the desk, flushed and hungry for more. And Loki was fast to bow his head over Tony's cock and devour it again.

This time around, Tony buried both his hands into Loki's now unkempt and canted his hips up; practically fucking into his mouth. Loki allowed him to also; he took the rough treatment, gagging and humming depending on how Tony fast or slow or shallow or deep moved his hips.

"Babe, fuck," he moaned. "Close,"

Tony felt his balls draw up and felt the sudden tremors that enveloped his body; telltale signs that he was on the verge of absolute completion. His hips rolled and bucked up, becoming frantic and uncoordinated; which was compelled further by Tony seeing Loki on his dick, looking like he might come just from being honored with having his cock in his mouth.

Slowly Loki pulled away once more, wrapping his fingers around the base of his cock again. He pumped him frantically and flicked his tongue against the swollen head.

"Mr. Stark," Loki uttered out, lusty and wanton; and that was the thing that drove him overboard. Those swollen, red lips and that wicked tongue, and those eyes that were practically black with desire; it was all too much for Tony to take.

With a choked (really unattractive too) noise, Tony came with a jerk of his hips. His dick leapt and spurted out a spray of cum that hit Loki straight in the face. Loki yelped out and clenched his eyes shut, but the damage had already been done. His face was speckled in Tony's cum and dribbled down his cheeks, chin, and even on the tip of his nose.

The sight was oddly satisfying for Tony; maybe in a way it was payback for that stunt he pulled only a few minutes beforehand, when his brother was in the room. It didn't really matter, though; not now when his whole body shook in the aftershocks of his orgasm. He sank back into his chair, heaving and watched as Loki cracked open one eye then the other.

"That was unnecessary." Loki croaked.

"Payback," Tony replied with a happy sigh, before he leaned back over to lick the tip of his nose clean. "I think I'm going to take you home now, and let you get your fill."

"I can't." Loki grumbled, turning his face in order to navigate Tony's tongue across his cheek.

"Curfew, baby,"

"Oh, I just have the greatest of honors of tutoring my younger brother in chemistry."

"Fuck that, I'll give him an A right now," Tony said before kissing Loki hard, which was returned just as eagerly and hungrily although it was short lived.

"Friday night, Stark; that's the best I can do." Loki kissed him again, while also tucking him back into his briefs and zipping him up. "And trust me; I'll be the one to suffer during our time apart."

"I'm already suffering." Tony touched Loki's sides as he climbed to his feet, visibly hard and straining against his jeans.

Awkwardly Loki pulled his tee-shirt down in a poor attempt to hide his arousal, before he snagged a tissue from the box on Tony's desk. He dabbed at his face and offered Tony a smart little smirk, as he stepped away.

"Now you know never to dare me, Tony. I always win."

"No, I think I'm the winner, babe."

"Of course, you are. Your prize was me." Loki smirked wider and left as quickly as he came.

Tony lounged back in his chair, reaching down to buckle his belt back up; replaying the blowjob in vivid detail. While he enjoyed every moment of it (aside from Baldur's impromptu appearance); he really wished he had gotten to see Loki work him towards his orgasm. And an even more selfishly he would have loved if he'd been able to come down Loki's perfect throat.

"I am in trouble and Friday's two days away; what the fuck have you done to me, Odinson?"


	19. Chapter Eighteen :: A Choice Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the slow updates; several days ago I had to deal with putting my beloved cat to sleep. So I haven't been up for much writing, but I managed to crank this out and I hope it's not too bad.

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**Chapter Eighteen :: A Choice Encounter**

 

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Thor hated grocery shopping, worse than even laundry duty. It was always a nightmare; mostly because Sif was very staunch about what they could and could not buy, and stuck to her grocery list to a T. Not to mention, he was stuck with pushing the trolley from aisle to aisle for however long it took. He wouldn't have minded it so much had his fiancée hadn't been such a militant about it.

Currently Sif led him through an empty aisle, clad in royal blue hospital scrubs; while scouring the shelves for whatever was on her list. They were only picking up a couple essential items, and a few things for the Odinson family dinner; which were few and far between, due in part to Thor's busy schedule. His job as a sports reporter oftentimes took him out of state to cover the local sports teams; and while he was in town, his schedule differed from everyone else's.

So this was a rarity to have everyone together, and Sif wanted to be as accommodating as possible by bringing something to the dinner. Which always endeared her further to Frigga, whom had a habit of basking her children's significant others with affections of all sorts. And that was precisely why Thor never brought anyone home; who he wasn't sure would stick. Loki was even less privy to do so.

Absentmindedly, Thor watched as Sif withdrew a box of croutons from the shelf and tossed it into the basket that had very little items in it. It was supposed to be a quick trip, before they met up at his parents' house; Loki was apparently already there, due in part to tutoring Baldur in chemistry or some other topic Thor hadn't any interest in.

He hadn't exactly excelled in his studies, not like Loki had anyway. His grades had been decent enough, and he had managed to graduate from college without too many difficulties. But he wouldn't say he was anywhere near as intelligent as his younger brother was in the way of academia.

"Your mother said she wanted us to pick up some almonds to put into a salad she's making." Sif said, as she scratched off the croutons from the list. "But before that we need some detergent."

"Lead the way, my lady love."

"You've been watching too much TV of late, I think." Sif shot him an exasperated smile.

"You are the one in charge of this operation, though."

"Only because our cart would be filled with junk food otherwise; I learned my lesson about letting you come to the grocery store unattended to."

"There isn't anything wrong with a few snacks." Thor argued, as he followed her down the aisle.

The incident in question hadn't been that much of a disaster. Yes, he had gone unattended to the grocery store, which he had done plenty of times while he lived alone (and temporarily with Loki). He had only lived with Sif for a few weeks at the time, and he had bought his regular rations: potato chips, beef jerky, cheddar crackers, sour candies, a twenty-four pack of beer and Mountain Dew respectably.

Of course, he learned right away that Sif didn't consider that to be food. She was a nurse, after all; and she liked to make proper meals like his mother did. And she preferred to have fruits for snacks than greasy cheese puffs or whatever a bachelor was bound to eat, after a visit to the local sports bar.

"Your diet was abhorrent, Thor." Sif turned the corner and he followed suit. "I'm surprised you and Loki are still alive at this point; since you two did live together for a few months."

"We still went to the gym; we were active, despite all that junk food. We still are, actually."

"It doesn't change the fact you both ate crap. You two are lucky to have such reliable significant others in your life." She laughed in that self-deprecating way, that he found to be endearing.

In some ways Sif reminded him of Loki; they both could be self-deprecating and dead serious too. It was no wonder that they got along so well. And Thor was lucky enough to find some sort of camaraderie between himself and Fandral. Since Thor hadn't been very fond of Loki's other boyfriends, regardless of them being short lived affairs.

Fandral seemed to be a good match for his brother; although he had initially been wary about the fact that Fandral had only dated women beforehand. That had spelled disaster to Thor, but he knew better than to vocalize his feelings on the matter; seeing as Loki had a tendency to become haughty and defensive whenever his life choices were questioned.

But it seemed as if his fears were only petty. Loki and Fandral had been together for years now; they had even moved in with one another early on in the relationship too. That seemed to solidify their commitment for one another further; even though, Thor had been under the impression that Loki would eventually realize he was madly in love with his best friend Bucky first.

Sif hadn't been of that opinion, though. She didn't see any unrequited love between the two of them like he did; and well, he respected her insight on the matter more than his own. He seemed to be fairly ignorant on the inner workings of his brother's love life anyway; particularly when he had feebly tried to make a love match for him in the past. And he would never make that mistake again.

"I doubt Fandral feeds Loki." Thor leaned heavily into the trolley as they walked along the many rows.

"Then I hope he doesn't rely on Bucky Barnes for that either."

"Even I know that he isn't the person you'd turn to for his culinary skills." He chuckled, as his fiancée led him into laundry detergent aisle.

There was another shopper on the other end of the aisle, but neither he nor Sif paid them any mind. She had already zeroed in the area of the laundry detergent that they kept in their townhouse. Thor obediently waited for Sif as she reached for the item off the shelf, before he turned his gaze onto the person at the other side of the aisle and was struck by immediate familiarity.

The guy was carrying a small red basket in one hand, as the other schemed across the many items on the shelf; clearly unsure of what to buy, if it was any indication by the confusion on his face. Thor abandoned his post behind his fiancée, and pushed the trolley towards the guy; one they had been speaking about no less than two minutes earlier.

His approach didn't draw any attention right away. But the low, teasing whistle he made did; the blond haired, goateed guy whipped around and blinked several times, before he reluctantly smiled. Fandral wasn't in his normally plaster-spattered clothing today. He'd probably cleaned up for the family dinner, and had been sent unsupervised to the grocery story by Loki.

Thor suspected his younger brother wasn't a militant shopper like Sif, though. He hadn't been when they lived together anyway. In fact, they both had been pretty lax in their shopping habits. At least not to the point where their mother had to intervene and save them from themselves; although, she probably didn't know the extent of their poor dietary habits either back then.

"Hey, Fandral," Thor greeted his future brother-in-law.

"Oh hey, Thor," Fandral returned with a tight smile, unlike the carefree one he usually wore. But Thor didn't put too much concern in something so minor; Loki, on the other hand, might have.

"Did my brother send you on an errand too?"

"Not exactly," Fandral turned back to the shelf and plucked some dryer sheets off of it, before tossing them into his hand basket.

"Well, you will be coming to the family dinner right?"

"Definitely not,"

"Come on, we're not that bad. Well, Baldur is but he's still a teenager." Thor chuckled, only to receive an exasperated look in return; which only increased once Sif wandered up the aisle with her bottle of Tide.

Her face split into a happy grin, even though Fandral seemed determined not to grace them with any attempt of friendliness. And that reminded Thor of Loki whenever he was in a mood; despite the fact that he was a very good actor and could very well be polite if he wanted to. But sometimes Loki preferred to be an insufferable cad instead. Maybe Loki's influence had finally begun to rub off on Fandral.

"Fandral, it's nice to see you again. How are you?" Sif set the detergent into the trolley, before reaching out to squeeze his arm.

"Great, actually," Fandral replied in feigned cheeriness; so obvious that Thor even recognized it.

Anyone with eyes or ears could tell he was anything but. Sif, however, had the decency not to push him. Thor already knew she would take the lie, and maybe talk about it at length when they were alone. Although, he didn't work that way; he pried at times, but that was due to the fact that he cared and couldn't do it in a subtle way.

Honestly, he never liked to prod unnecessarily. He wasn't a gossip of any sort; he was, however, overly concerned about his brother's well-being that he would prod if he needed to. Something told him that he needed to now especially, even if Sif would loudly object to his interrogation of Fandral.

"Wait here for me; I'm going to see if they have any of those green grapes your father likes. And, of course, to pick up those almonds." Sif piped in as the uncomfortable tension continued to spread; giving her consent, maybe, to speak to Fandral in private. But he knew she wouldn't be mum about it once they were alone. "Fandral, it was nice to you see."

"Uh, same,"

"Stay here; don't wander off."

"You've already trained me; I won't wander away." Thor rolled his eyes, as he watched his fiancée walk away; although not before she shot him a look that blatantly stated they were going to have a discussion about his obvious need to pry.

Once Sif had walked out of the aisle, Thor returned his attention to Fandral; who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here and with him. Thor vaguely recalled a similar look on Fandral's face when they had first become acquainted. It was the look most of Loki's boyfriends had given him – fear and anxiety.

Maybe it was because of his domineering stature; seeing as most people had found him to be a daunting presence before they'd properly spoken to him. And he supposed that extended to his brother's boyfriends, who thought he might crush them like a can if they hurt him. Which he honestly would if push came to shove; his brother was one of his best friends, and he'd be damned if he let anyone hurt him intentionally.

"Loki hasn't told you yet?" Fandral turned away from the shelf, while shifting the basket between his hands.

"I haven't spoken to Loki in a few weeks. I was in New York for work. You know it isn't unusual for Loki and me to go weeks without speaking."

"I know that, I just figured he would call you up because of this. But then again, he's probably hiding away with Bucky." Fandral spat out meanly.

Thor furrowed his brow, not entirely surprised by Fandral's annoyance with Bucky. Bucky had a knack for staying very close to Loki, and Loki always accommodated more to their friendship than was probably healthy. And yet, it never seemed to be a problem in the past. Fandral knew that Loki and Bucky were a packaged deal; you didn't get one without the other.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Fandral."

"Loki and I broke up." Fandral said in a deadpan tone, almost matter-of-factly even.

"You broke up?" He parroted, as the realization slowly ebbed into his brain.

Thor wasn't sure if he should be surprised or not. Loki's track record hadn't been overall successful when it came to long lasting relationships. In fact, his relationship with Fandral had been the longest one that he ever had. While on the other hand, it didn't necessarily matter how many relationships Loki had been in or how long they lasted; this one had seemed to be solid.

There hadn't been any glaring problem to Thor's knowledge that would inevitably lead to a break up. Loki would have probably said something; even if he was more privy to tell Bucky than him. Mostly because Loki had some weird issue with privacy, and maybe he found Thor to be untrustworthy since he usually conveyed a lot of things to Sif out of habit.

"We broke up." Fandral repeated with a scowl. "And I know you'll ask me why, but you can ask your brother about it instead. You can see how forthcoming he is with the truth."

"That statement seems to suggest Loki did something wrong."

"Take that statement however you please. But I really don't owe you an explanation."

"True, you don't owe me an explanation." Thor nodded in agreement. "People break up all the time; there's nothing odd about that. And Loki always had a tendency to get bored with the monotony of a relationship. But I really thought you two would work out; he seemed happy the last time I saw him."

"Well, things change." Fandral said rather dismissively.

It was an obvious out from the conversation, and Thor wasn't about to keep Fandral there any longer. He would have to speak to Loki, if he ever wished to know what had happened between him and Fandral. Even then, he suspected he wouldn't find out the truth; since it really wasn't his business anyway.

Fandral didn't say goodbye to him; rather he hurried to the end of the aisle, and strode out of sight. Thor furrowed his brow again, but remained rooted to the spot; he knew Sif would be annoyed if he decided to wander off. Due to the fact, they would have to play a game of search and find to meet up again, and they were probably already going to be twenty minutes late for the family dinner.

So he stood there, churning over the information he'd collected. And while he knew that Loki was an adult, it didn't make him any less protective of his younger brother. But he couldn't seem to smother the urge to chase after Fandral and beat him down, for potentially hurting Loki in any way. He wouldn't, though; not until he knew the whole story. He just hoped Loki would share; if not him, then he'd go to Bucky instead.


	20. Chapter Nineteen :: Unresolved Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this turned out shitty.

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**Chapter Nineteen :: Unresolved Anger**

 

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It hadn't been one of Loki's most brilliant of ideas. There were very few times deep throating was a particularly good idea, and all of them were assigned to the bedroom (or wherever one chose to perform it, which was ultimately anywhere that Loki could potentially do so). Nevertheless, while it had fulfilled a teenaged fantasy; it had left him in poor shape afterwards.

His throat felt raw and used, while his jaw ached from accepting Tony's girth in and out of his mouth multiple times. Which would have certainly been worn as tokens of his conquest, had he not been forced to join his family for one of their silly little dinners. The sort that brought them all together, regardless if they wanted to be there or not; and no one wanted to be subjected to a teary-eyed telephone call from their mother either.

So Loki had come back to the family home in a rush; collected up his paperwork and laptop from the table, and made a beeline for the second story floor. He'd locked himself into the bathroom that once served as his and Thor's, but was now only Baldur's; and had hurriedly masturbated before cleaning up appropriately. Before he then searched the cabinetry for any and all cough drops that would moisten his throat, and permit him to sound almost human again.

Unfortunately, that hadn't helped at all. His throat still hurt, his jaw still ached, and he sounded like he had jammed his former teacher's cock in his mouth and sucked it like the wanton whore he tended to be in those sorts of situations. He was the last one to deny the fact that he loved sex, and needed it fairly frequently to remain somewhat pleasant.

But the timing had been off on this occasion, and he shouldn't have fallen hook line and sinker for Tony's dare. It wasn't to say that it was a bad experience, because it most certainly was not. He just wished it hadn't been several hours before a family dinner; and he couldn't remained hidden in his old bedroom forever either. He had managed to avoid Baldur and his mother alike for some time; except he knew he had to join the rest of the family now, sore throat and all.

Resigning himself to his fate, Loki headed down the back stairwell that led into the gourmet kitchen. He could smell a wonderful aroma of food as he descended; too many dishes to count, which was typical of his mother. She always had a knack for cooking far too many dishes, as if extended family were bound to show up from Europe, as opposed to there being a grand total of six people in attendance.

By the time he had stepped into the kitchen, everyone had already arrived. Thor and Sif had lugged in a few grocery bags in between them, whereas their father was already seated at the kitchen table with the newspaper sprawled out in front of him. Baldur was already stealing food from the many dishes left unattended to, as their mother worked at the stove and greeted Thor and Sif accordingly.

"Our sassy and bitchy brother rears his ugly head at long last!" Baldur was the first to spy him. "Your slower, stupider, and uglier brother decided to show up too; kindred spirits!"

Loki had several choice retorts on the tip of his tongue, and yet he knew if he spoke that his predicament would only give his younger brother further ammunition to use against him. Which was such a shame, since he had so many wonderful things to say in return; but thankfully Thor took up the initiative for him.

"And then we have the youngest and ugliest of the litter. Mother was convinced that our real brother had been switched at birth, because there wasn't any possibility that this abomination could belong to her."

"You two stop it right now." Frigga shot a no-nonsense look between Baldur and Thor; before she glimpsed at Loki instead. "As for you, why don't you go set the dining room table?"

"I'll be more than happy to help, Mrs. Odinson." Sif announced as helpful as ever, which always earned them stern stares from their mother in turn; since Sif was still technically a guest, and not exactly family yet.

Of course, there were already plans in place for Thor and Sif to marry sometime next year. Loki wasn't privy to the date, although he suspected Thor wasn't either. Sif was the one who essentially wore the pants in their relationship, and proven as much on several occasions much to Loki and Baldur's shared glee.

Wordlessly, Loki went to the cupboards and took down the nicer china that Frigga insisted on using during such dinners. He left Sif to collect the silverware, before he moved down the short hallway into the richly designed dining room. The same room that he had announced to everyone that he was gay in so many years beforehand; thankfully no one seemed to associate the room with that memory, not even Odin anymore.

Within moments, Sif had joined him and positioned the silverware beside each plate he sat down. They worked in companionable silence, and he was reminded why he liked Sif so much. She had a knack for being a relentless control freak while dealing with Thor, but otherwise she was laidback and unobtrusive for the most part.

"Guess who we saw at the grocery store today." Sif piped up as they made their way past the unlit fireplace and towards the head of the table.

"Who," he managed to say without sounding too much like a toad.

"Fandral,"

"Fandral," he repeated, regardless of the audible crack that sliced through his voice.

"Yeah, he told Thor that you two broke up. He wouldn't say why, but apparently he made it sound like it was your fault." Sif pointed a fork at him, before setting it onto the table. "You know Thor's going to interrogate you about it whenever he gets you alone."

"Well, tighten the big buffoon's leash; I don't owe him any answers about my relationship."

"What's wrong with you; you sound like shit. Suck too much dick or what?" Baldur interrupted suddenly, carrying a basket of freshly baked bread in one hand.

Loki shot his younger brother a withering look; he would like nothing more than to tell him the truth. That when he had conferred with his chemistry teacher that afternoon, Loki had been under the desk with Tony's heavy, thick cock in his mouth and sucking on it wantonly; and even the memory boiled his insides with arousal. But he sobered up by the stupid look on Baldur's face.

It would only be too easy to flay Baldur with his words; yet his privacy was enough to stop him from it. He muttered a harsh sentiment under his breath, despite knowing that it could easily be seen as a sign of weakness. And that he might very well regret it soon enough; seeing as any form of weakness in front of his brothers was something to avoid at all costs.

"Your mother should really wash your mouth out with soap." Sif glowered harshly at Baldur then.

"Not all of us are as whipped as Thor."

"That can be arranged; you won't be sixteen forever, brother." Thor barreled into the room, carrying a large casserole dish between both his hands that were covered in oven mittens. "And Loki and I will be waiting for that day."

"Counting down the days," Loki supplied gruffly.

As sure as clockwork, Thor shot him an inquisitive stare; although the racket Baldur made in turn, taunting them both with nasty words put the inevitable question aside about his voice. Loki did not want to discuss his lack of voice, but even more than that; he didn't want to have a discussion about his relationship status. Both topics tied into one another and his brothers didn't need to be informed of that.

But Thor was hardheaded as he was in many respects. If he wanted to speak about Fandral, somehow he would find a way; and inevitably their mother would cave, especially if Thor convinced her he was concerned about Loki's well-being. That always worked its magic.

"After dinner we should have a talk, Loki." Thor placed the casserole dish onto the table.

"I already know what you want to discuss, and quite frankly I don't want to. So don't push it, Thor; you know I'm not going to roll over and concede."

"You must be catching a cold."

"Or sucking too many dicks; you know that's his biggest disease, an incurable one." Baldur butted in, and collapsed into his designated spot at the table. "Mom didn't say he was getting sick when I came home. So there's only one cause for it."

"You have a peculiar fascination with my sexual practices, little brother." Loki pulled out his chair directly across from Baldur's. "Might I remind you, despite my being adopted I am still your brother. So please put to bed any unsavory fantasies you might have; I still consider it incest."

Thor and Sif choked back identical chuckles, but Baldur didn't share the same sentiment. His face turned an ugly shade of red, before he reached for one of the bread rolls in front of him, and threw it and struck Loki in the temple. Baldur was already reaching for another one to toss at him, but drew up short once their father came into the room.

While none of them were particularly on their best behavior at any given point; they at least attempted to be, whenever Odin made an appearance. After all, their father wasn't the sort to handle their bad behavior with any grace; if anything he was the no-nonsense sort, and while he could ignore some insults tossed between his sons. He didn't handle vulgarity and threats of violence and food throwing very well. Not many parents would really.

Odin eyed them all, before he sat down at the head of the table. Thor and Sif were quick to follow Odin's lead and took their seats as well. Quiet fell across the room, all beside Baldur shoving the bread basket away from him back to its original position on the table; which was typical when it came to Odin joining them in any capacity, at least initially anyway.

"How has your studies been progressing, Baldur?" Odin asked then, suspicious no doubt about the previous ruckus that was happening before he arrived.

"Good, I guess. Loki's tutoring me in chemistry."

"Have you now, Loki?"

"Only a bit," Loki picked up the dinner roll that had been tossed at him, and tore a piece off.

"Loki's always been studious, though." Thor added in, as if their father hadn't known that already.

While Thor excelled in physical activity, Loki had been more devoted to academics. And they were both fortunate enough to go to very good universities because of it. Loki had just been far more superior in terms of sciences and mathematics than his elder brother, and apparently his younger brother too.

"You're very lucky, Baldur." Odin shifted in his seat. "You have a good tutor at hand."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Be more grateful, brother." Thor scowled, seemingly affronted by Baldur's lack of gratitude. "Loki has a life of his own, but he still puts up with you; no less for free!"

"Speaking of which, where is Fandral, Loki?" Odin pinned him with his one good eye; the other was covered with an eye patch, due to an unfortunate childhood accident. "I assumed he would be here."

Loki paused in the midst of tearing the dinner roll into tiny pieces, and shot his father a weary look. He had very few options on what to do now that the topic had been brought up. Lying seemed like the only feasible thing to do in this situation, although he couldn't be sure if Thor would pipe in and contradict to him or not; and he rather not be dubbed a liar, despite his flawless ability as one.

Honesty might end up being the best policy, especially since Frigga too might confide in Odin later on; which would put him in a difficult position later on. Even if it was a personal matter that didn't involve anyone but him and Fandral; at least Fandral didn't find it necessary to tell Thor of what happened between them.

"Well," he cleared his throat, feeling the strain on his voice still. "Things are a bit complicated at the moment."

"He got stuck in some cement or what?" Baldur chimed in with a cocky little grin.

"There's nothing wrong with having a vocation like Fandral's." Odin returned. "In fact, it would serve you well if you took on something similarly during the summer holiday."

"I'll pass; I don't have a thing for construction workers like Loki does."

"Watch it." Loki glowered at him.

"So where is he?" Baldur pressed, since he couldn't throw dinner rolls at him anymore. "Did he have another family dinner to go to? You know for one of his girlfriends. Or did he just not want to put with you for the day? Because I can understand that feeling, which is pretty sad because I hate Fandral,"

Normally Loki could brush away Baldur's many jabs and insults about his personal life. Or at least he could hold his temper longer than a few moments, before he returned an equally unsavory retort back at him. But the insinuation about Fandral having multiple girlfriends struck too close to home, and that unresolved anger seemed to hit its climax then.

His body felt like it had gone into cruise control; working of its own volition, despite common sense wanting to dictate otherwise. He abandoned the dinner roll, instead to slam his hands palm-down onto the table; which caused the cutlery and china to clank and shake by the sheer force of his action. He then shoved back in his seat and stood, practically quivering with fury; succumbed by all the emotions he hadn't dared to show Fandral.

Oftentimes he would react poorly when they scoured for women for Fandral to bed. But he hadn't spoken up against it; he had gone along with it, and felt victimized over and over by it. He stayed up until the early morning hours waiting for Fandral to come back; smelling of sex and perfume, and kissed red or pink or mauve even, with hickeys on his neck and scratch marks on his back.

All those inane details roared to the forefront of his mind, and while the target of his anger was nowhere in sight; his little brother was. The same little brother whom vocalized the reality of his fears, and did so while in the presence of their father of all people.

"You'll love this, little brother; it'll tickle you pink!" Loki spat out, regardless of seeing Odin rise to feet; no doubt to defuse the situation. "Fandral and I have broken up! So he can return to the women whom suffered by his absence! And I will have to pick up the pieces of my life bit by bit, while you have a good laugh of it!"

"Loki," Odin said firmly, but that didn't deter him at all.

"Maybe you can tell Father why I'm tutoring you in chemistry too!" He whipped his head around to stare at their father. "Baldur was failing chemistry; he spun a tale that you and mother were out of town, when his teacher wanted to speak to you. And I stupidly attended that conference, striking up a deal with his teacher to ensure he'd pass in some capacity. Because Baldur here was skipping classes and failing all his exams; certainly not of Odinson material, dear brother,"

Odin turned his attention away from Loki then, but he chose not to revel in his brother's impending punishment. Instead he stalked out of the dining room, as he had when he announced he was gay so many years beforehand. The only difference between the two occasions was that he was far more surefooted and had a haven beyond his bedroom. He could leave without being pursued.

He stormed through the hallway and into the kitchen, where Frigga was pulling a freshly baked pie from the oven. She glimpsed up by the sound of his footfall and the roar of anger that emitted from the dining room, where Odin was already in the midst of scolding Baldur silly.

"Loki, what happened?" Frigga straightened herself, leaving the pie halfway in the oven still.

"Your trueborn son happened." He snapped meanly, before yanking open the kitchen door, and hurrying outside into the newly fallen darkness.

Anger fueled him blindly to his jeep, and he was only too glad that no one came after him. They knew better than that now; it had only taken twenty-six years, but they knew Loki didn't revel in being coddled and begged by them to tell them his problems. So he was free to go, even if he didn't know where he wanted to go. But he knew he couldn't stay there anymore, and be reminded that he hadn't been enough for Fandral and undoubtedly anyone else for that matter.

He just needed to be alone.


	21. Chapter Twenty :: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if this is very good; I tried, though.

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**Chapter Twenty :: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold**

 

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The commotion at the front door had been entirely unexpected; although the person who had been the cause of it was even more so. Fandral hadn't expected to see his former lover anytime soon; in fact, he had suspected that they wouldn't cross paths within the foreseeable future. And yet, Loki stood on his doorstep with wildfire in his eyes and his lips thinned into an angry line.

Without so much as a greeting, his former lover shoved past him into the loft apartment they once shared, and paced the hardwood floors with heavy steps. Every step sounded like a jackhammer, worrying away at broken pavement; reminding Fandral far too much of his occupation for his own liking. But words failed him and he could only watch Loki in his fury.

During their three year relationship, he knew when to speak up and when to be quiet. Nothing had changed in that respect, regardless of being apart for weeks; where bad feelings had inevitably festered and grew more pungent with each passing day. Fandral couldn't even begin to describe his outrage with Loki, and why he had chosen to end things the way he did.

Fear and worry had essentially combined into a powder keg of emotion, and exploded by the slightest spark. But the circumstances had been too great to ignore for him, considering they had established a set of rules for a reason. Loki had been the author of them too no less, and had broken the most crucial ones in a single night.

That was something very hard for Fandral to overlook; especially when his former lover had also put himself into harm's way by forgoing protection, which was something that they hadn't even done beforehand, regardless of Fandral's insistent pleas to try it once. Yet Loki was in no way accommodating in that sense, and instead tried to appease him with sex toys and creative positions instead.

"Are you going to tell me why you're here? Or am I going to be made to ask?" He asked wearily, although his suspicions were already raised. "This is because of Thor isn't it?"

Loki paused in mid-stride, annoyance written on every inch of his face. His body was as tense as a bowstring, which usually was remedied by rough and intense sexual contact. Loki liked to be shoved against the exposed brick wall and taken hard and fast, until he babbled nonsense and called Fandral insults and endearments alike. But that wasn't an option now; not unless they wanted to complicate an already complex situation further.

"This is about us." Loki seethed in a gravelly almost sickly voice, before he pointed at him accusingly. "You hadn't any right to treat me like you did. Not after three years, when I stayed here waiting for you to come back home after you fucked some slut with black hair and long legs!"

Fandral arched an eyebrow, which always proved to provoke Loki even further. It was a calculated move on his part, and he knew that Loki knew he had done so on purpose. They knew one another too well, not to realize the small and insignificant things that strangers could easily bypass.

"We had an agreement; it's not like I sprang this on you years after the fact. You knew I wanted to be with women still."

"Because I wasn't enough for you, Fandral; I couldn't satisfy you?" Loki yelled in outrage.

Of course, they had shared a fulfilling sex life. Loki had been open to many things that his previous partners had not; more often than not, he was insatiable and needed sex at least once a day. But the more he could get, the sweeter he inevitably became.

Even so, Fandral had needs Loki couldn't possibly meet. He had only been with women before he had met Loki, and craved to be with one from time to time. None of his trysts meant anything either; they were simply means to an end. He fucked them so he could come, and satiate that need; before he came home to Loki and continued their life together.

He hadn't any need or want to carry on an affair with anyone. Regardless of the fact, that the first few times he had been given permission to whet his appetite; they had been done poorly and without any finesse. He had brought women back to their apartment, and had seen one or two a couple of times; before Loki had put his foot down and demanded they draft some rules up, in order to separate the romps from the relationship.

"Why are you bringing this up now?" Fandral asked archly, after several moments of contemplation. "We aren't broken up because of that. We're broken up because you practically broke every rule we had; no less potentially put yourself in harm's way. Then had the gall to hand over your number to the creep you fucked."

"Because you gave me so much time to explain myself,"

"Fine, you want to explain yourself – go for it."

"I was drunk and horny and stupid!" Loki hit himself in the chest with a closed fist, as if to punctuate his statement for maximum emphasis. "I made a very big mistake, one that I spent weeks regretting. I was terrified by my own idiocy. And I couldn't tell you how he got my number, aside from him getting into my phone at some point in the evening. Because I never gave it to him, Fandral; why would I lie about that and not about using protection?"

Fandral had had a lot of time to reflect on that. Once his anger had dissipated a bit, he had churned the details of the situation through his head; tried to find some logical explanation for everything. But ultimately, he was far too angry to consider the variables closely.

More than even that, though; he had been scared for Loki. After all, he had had an awful experience when he had attempted to flex the rules of their agreement beforehand. And while there was always a risk whenever Fandral went home with a woman; the risks were exponentially higher when it came to Loki. That was a fact of life, which made that night of waiting as close to hell on earth as anyone could get.

He had waited for a telephone call, a text message; anything really so that he knew Loki was alive and well. It had been impossible for him to sleep, despite having to work in the morning. Seeing as his mind had been plagued by all sorts of terrible, horrifying thoughts; and he could readily admit that led to his irrationality when Loki eventually cropped up again. He couldn't deny it and wouldn't either.

"I acted irrationally, but I was scared shitless." He admitted aloud, unable to hide the bitterness in his tone. "Then to have the guy call you right in front of me, that only made everything worse."

"Oh, so you now know how I felt on a monthly basis."

"In between your dalliances with Bucky, you mean?"

"I hadn't slept with Bucky in months!" Loki spat back venomously.

By no means did they have a traditional relationship; that much was apparent from day one. Fandral knew from the get-go that Loki had a sexual relationship with his best friend; and he hardly minded it, seeing as the two of them were incompatible beyond a friendly and sexual level. So he could live with a blowjob here and there, a fuck or two once in a while; as much as Loki seemed to be able to live with the fact that he needed to be with women from time to time.

However, that seemed to be a farce; Loki obviously couldn't stand his one nightstands, and maybe he couldn't stand the idea of him sucking Bucky off whenever he got hot and bothered (which was a frequent occurrence multiple times a day). No less, having Loki sleep with someone without any protection was the death blow to an already volatile relationship.

It didn't mean he loved Loki any less, though. Which was exactly the problem now; even if Fandral wanted to yell and shake Loki, he also wanted to wrap his arms around him and kiss until he was breathless and apologize for his overreactions. Except he couldn't do it; especially if it meant they both would have to sacrifice the lifestyles that they'd grown accustomed to.

No matter how much he loved Loki, he couldn't settle for monogamy; not for Loki anyway. His sexuality might have veered away from the straight and narrow, but his preferences remained mostly the same. He was attracted to women; dark-haired, long legged, busty women. If Loki had been a woman, he certainly would have fit the bill too.

"Well, obviously you weren't happy with our arrangement anyway." He returned then.

"Like you would have stayed with me otherwise if not."

"True, I wouldn't. Not because I don't love you, but because I'm not willing to live my life without women."

"Because I'm not enough for you, Fandral; no matter how roughly I allowed you to take me. Or even the many uncomfortable positions I let you contort me in; it wouldn't have been enough for you?"

"You aren't a woman, Loki!"

"And you aren't heterosexual, Fandral!" Loki shoved him, but without any true strength behind it; even though he was capable of that and much more.

"Well, why the hell are you here?" He demanded again, barely holding onto his patience.

Loki always had a way to break any sane person's sanity, depending on his mood. Many times Fandral had broken underneath the promise of sex; while other times, he had broken underneath severe agitation and irritability, whenever Loki pushed too many buttons in too little time. And that was exactly what he was doing currently.

"Because I deserve to say my piece; I deserve that much after three years." His former lover practically snarled.

"Well, here's your reward for three tireless years – say your piece."

"I love you, Fandral." Loki said without any hesitation whatsoever. "But I deserve better than being second best. It was a mistake getting involved with someone who obviously isn't gay. I know you were never ashamed of me, but you weren't very proud to be with me either. And I deserve that much; I need someone to be with me only, instead of finding pleasure with every other whore in the city."

Two contradictory emotions hit Fandral at once, but both were powerful nonetheless. The first was anger and the other was desperation; while he had ultimately ended their relationship, their separation had only just hit him now. It was much easier to cope with his decision, when Loki was out of sight and out of mind, and hadn't had a chance to respond accordingly.

Now, however, it really felt like the end. They were over, and Loki wasn't here to fight for them; he was only here to rage and say his piece, which was hostile and pissy but had some truth to it regardless. He did deserve someone who would only want him, and would love him without needing to be in a woman once a month. And yet, he was angry because Loki knew what he was getting into from the get-go; he knew and never vocalized his reservations about it beforehand.

"So you're finally running off to Barnes." He said tightly, almost jokingly; overall it just sounded bitter and angry, though.

"No, never," Loki suddenly deflated. "I'll just repeat my own stupid mistake again like I did with you."

"And what stupid mistake would that be exactly?"

"Bucky dubbed me the starter gay." Loki muttered, before he walked past him; no longer a fury on two long beautiful legs. "Since clearly I attract a weird breed of generally heterosexual men, who have a predilection for cock every once in a while. And regardless of how stupid it is to even entertain the thought of going to bed with one of you again; it's even stupider to do it more than once."

"What are you talking about?" Fandral felt a thunderbolt of jealousy strike him; intense enough to make him see red for a split-second.

Maybe the whole reason for Loki's impromptu visit was to invoke jealousy in him. He wouldn't put it past him; even if it was an unconscious impulse, it was a very Loki thing to do. And whenever that nasty habit hit, Fandral had always done something to remedy his bitchy streak.

He'd bend Loki over the couch and fuck his ass raw. Or even throw him to the floor and mount him as Loki thrashed underneath him like a wildcat, until the pleasure drained the fight out of him and made him moan for more.

"I have a date with my ex-science teacher; the same one who fucked me and came inside of me." Loki returned viciously then, before a nasty smile crossed his lips. "I'm glad I could get the truth off my chest, Fandral. And just to let you know for your peace of mind, I stayed the night; Bucky only picked me up that morning. So I technically broke _every_ rule we established."

Before the words could fully sink in, Loki had crossed the apartment's open floor plan and had stalked out the door. Which spared him the sudden rush of fury that crashed over Fandral, knowing that his former lover and done more than break a few key rules; he had ripped up the rules and pissed all over them, and made sure he knew about it too.


	22. Chapter Twenty-one :: Sex Then Sushi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this took an eternity and a half to write.

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**Chapter Twenty-one :: Sex Then Sushi**

 

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Tony studied his reflection for the umpteenth time within twenty minutes. He couldn't tell if he was far too overdressed for the occasion or not; generally if he were having a quiet evening at home with a companion, he opted for a tee-shirt and pair of rugged jeans. So why he felt compelled to dress up in a pair of black trousers and a crimson colored button-up, was beyond him.

Maybe he was feebly attempting to make an impression on his former student; who was bound to arrive at any moment, after they had made plans throughout the day. Although the nature of the visit was up in the air; Tony suspected there would be some sort of intimacy between them again, which he was fully anticipating for. And yet, he also wanted to have some time to converse before their more carnal of desires got in the way.

Generally speaking, Tony never had any interest when it came to learning about his potential conquests. Pepper had been the only exception, but his intent had evolved over a period of months; whereas his interest in Loki had hastened considerably. Then again, everything was very different in terms of his relations with Loki.

Their previous interaction had been of teacher and student, after all; not to mention this was Tony's first homosexual relationship, and well he wasn't too hung up about it. Confusion was really not something he dwelled on for too long, especially when it came to sexuality. He believed sexuality was fluid, and sometimes someone came along that tested the boundaries of what you believed; which really didn't bother him at all.

If anything had concerned him about his attraction to Loki, it was their previous status as teacher and student. But even those reservations had faded away, once he'd gotten a taste of what Loki had to offer. And he found himself addicted to those brief moments of interaction between them via text message; which always seemed to devolve into lascivious conversation, and ended with Tony sporting a painful erection.

He supposed it was only a natural progression, though. Loki practically oozed of sex; whether or not he was attempting to was irrelevant. Sometime in between his time in high school and currently, his former student had acquired an aura that very few had; let alone knew how to use for optimal results.

Regardless of knowing how disastrous things could end up, Tony was helpless to intervene. He had fallen victim to Loki's charms; no less that sharp tongue and the many things it could do if prompted to. And while there was a withstanding taboo between them, it admittedly made things that much more exciting; which was probably the cause for his uppity behavior at the moment.

Giving himself another quick look in the mirror, Tony hurried down the hallway towards the kitchen where he had taken it upon himself to order a tray of sushi and set out an even greater array of liquor. It was a simple dinner, since he didn't want to overdo things too much; and he just hoped that Loki had a predilection for raw fish or else it wouldn't end up well. Although, he could always order a pizza if that were the case; and nothing said casual like pizza.

Once in the kitchen, he made a beeline for the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer. The wine and accompanying glasses were already set out beside the sushi tray; alongside anything else needed for the meal. The only missing element from the scene was Loki himself; the reminder of which made Tony pop open his bottle and take a healthy swig from it.

It was hard to deny that he was slightly nervous. He really didn't know what to expect when it came to Loki; if his former hostility was anything to go by. So he supposed it was for best to have some alcohol already in his system; lest things go awry rather quickly.

Halfway through his bottle, Tony jerked to attention by the sound of the doorbell being rung. He swallowed down another mouthful of beer, and tried to settle the butterflies that suddenly made their presence known in the pit of his belly; which was unorthodox for him. He usually never got nervous about meeting someone, even if he fancied them; so this was something new.

Setting aside his beer bottle, he started towards the entranceway; unable to smother the excitement he inevitably felt. He couldn't even delay his arrival at the door beyond a few moments, and that made him feel like an over-excited teenage girl. The sort he spent far too much time with day in and day out; and he couldn't say that was anything to be overly proud of either.

The doorbell went off again, as he crossed through the foyer. He took in a deep breath, before he grasped the knob and pulled open the door to greet his visitor. Loki stood on the front step, wearing his familiar leather jacket; casual attire compared to Tony's own. But that didn't make him look any less impressive; in fact, it took much of his willpower not to reach over and kiss Loki breathless.

"Hey Odinson," he greeted as casually as he could; stepping aside to let him enter. "Long time no see."

"Mr. Stark," Loki returned as he entered the foyer.

"Please, call me Tony. I think you earned that right by now." Tony shut the door behind him. "I'm pretty sure I told you that beforehand, though."

"Old habits die hard, I suppose."

"You look great."

"I think I'm underdressed, actually." Loki eyed him from head to toe; in a fashion that could only be described as invasive.

It almost felt as if Tony was being stripped from his skin, dissected, and examined by the sharpness of his former student's eyes. He felt absurdly vulnerable for those few moments; but was quickly spared any further unrest, when Loki looked elsewhere.

"I'm just overdressed, I guess." Tony managed to chuckle, before he motioned for Loki to follow him to the kitchen, and started down the hallway.

"I think both of us are far too overdressed, Tony." Loki suddenly purred very close to his ear; which halted their progress to the kitchen almost immediately. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Before any witty retort could burst out of his mouth, Tony felt a pair of hands accost him. They slid playfully down his sides, causing goose bumps to rise across his body; and then settled on the width of his hips. Loki breathed against the curve of his ear, which only caused Tony's blood to simmer and to plummet southward.

He made an unintelligible noise, as Loki pressed his body close to his. They melded together easily, as if they were designed for that very function – to be close to one another. It felt almost too natural, in ways that it didn't necessarily feel right when with other people. Or maybe that was simply his mounting arousal speaking.

Whether that was the case or not was irrelevant. Tony reveled in the feel of Loki's body; his impossibly long limbs and the broadness of his chest that was pressed firmly to his back. But most of all, Tony melted into the soft lips that pressed to the back of his ear, and the increasingly tight grip on his hips.

"And here I spent so much time getting dolled up for you." He groaned, as Loki nipped at his earlobe. "I had a romantic night planned out too."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to ruin the evening with unbridled, passionate sex." Loki chuckled softly, only to slip one hand across the front of Tony's trousers. "I can only hope that what you have in store is much better than taking you into my mouth, sucking you to hardness, and forcing you to fuck me hard and fast across the hardwood floors."

Tony closed his eyes, clearly envisioning the scenario Loki had painted for him. The mere thought of Loki naked underneath him, legs sprawled open as far as they could go, and begging to be fucked by him until he was breathless, sweaty, and flushed was almost too good to be true. It was certainly better than all the fantasies he had come up with of late.

"Show a little restraint there, Odinson." He managed to say, and pulled away in order to walk towards the kitchen once more; although the hand on his crotch was a huge distraction. "We'll have plenty of time for that and more. But I'm fucking starving and there's sushi."

With a bit of maneuvering, and a disgruntled noise from Loki when Tony removed his hand unceremoniously from the front of his trousers, they made it to the kitchen in one piece. Tony was half-hard from that bit of foreplay, which made it difficult for him to shift his thoughts elsewhere; especially onto the platter of sushi that was on the kitchen island.

Food didn't seem so appealing, in comparison to the tawdry things that had been coming from Loki's lips only moments earlier. And yet, Tony decided that wielding a bit of self-restraint would only heighten the inevitable satisfaction when he actually took Loki to bed again. Or maybe they would just settle for the floor as Loki suggested; either way, it would be incredible once they got to that point.

Rounding the island, Tony motioned towards one of the barstools on the other side of the countertop; before he reached for a bottle of red wine and the corkscrew next to it. He uncorked the bottle and poured himself a healthy amount, disregarding his half-empty beer, and was granted consent from Loki with a tilt of his head.

"I hope I wasn't off base by assuming you like sushi."

"I think you know me better than my own family, Tony." Loki accepted the glass of wine, and then settled comfortably onto the barstool.

"Well, you certainly pushed that with your visit to my classroom a few days ago." Tony arched an eyebrow, as Loki's face broke into a sly smile. "Which was totally uncalled for; we could have been caught. And if you think I have considerable control over my body while someone sucks my dick, you are totally wrong."

"But we weren't caught. Baldur was none the wiser, although I felt compelled to tell him otherwise."

"Why the hell would you want to do that? Unless your goal is to get me fired,"

"Because," Loki scowled abruptly, before taking a drink from his glass. "He's an insufferable ingrate."

Tony didn't know how to reply to that; so he instead found solace in his wine glass instead. From his brief conversations with Baldur about Loki, they didn't seem to see eye to eye very much. In some ways, it seemed like they downright didn't like one another; despite the fact, Loki had willingly had been tutoring Baldur in chemistry and stepped in for the parent-teacher conference.

"Did I just inadvertently kill the mood?"

"You killed the mood when you didn't pull out your cock."

"Is being that horny tiring? Trust me, I appreciate it; I really do. But you seem perpetually horny."

"I just love cock. So why should I deny myself something I clearly enjoy?" Loki gave him a sharp look, as if challenging him to contest that point.

If anything he hadn't any room to talk; he had been a huge pussy hound for the greater part of his life. He hadn't even been able to remain loyal to Pepper, regardless of deciding at some point in the past that he wanted to be with her exclusively. But neither of them could remain faithful for very long; even if their relationship supposedly made sense in the long run.

"Maybe if I was still your teacher, I'd give you a friendly word of advice. But I'm not and you seem to play it pretty safe with all things considering. So who am I to judge you for your never-ending horniness? I mean I kind of entertain it a little too."

Loki didn't deign his statement with a reply; instead his former student tossed back the rest of his wine in one impressive swallow. He did, however, level him with an intense stare that was a combination of too many emotions to count. One of them was undoubtedly lust, though; lust for him and that stirred his already searing groin.

It took a lot of willpower not to round the island again, and plaster his mouth to Loki's thin but lush lips. Especially now that he knew the pleasures that mouth could give him; the unrelenting roll of ecstasy that outshone anyone else's that he previously experienced. Not even Pepper could overshadow what Loki had done to him, while in between his legs and his mouth hard at work on his cock.

"You fuel my libido, Tony." Loki whispered seductively. "Ever since I had your thick and incredibly hard cock down my throat; I haven't been able to do anything but think about it. I've touched myself over and over to it; you can't even imagine how hard and fast I've come from it either."

Tony felt an even more aggressive heat in his groin, as if he was being burned alive. He'd always been a sucker for dirty talk, but Loki had truly made him appreciate it even more. Which was precisely why he couldn't flex his self-restraint any longer; he didn't even really know why he attempted it, when there were so many pleasures awaiting him if he just reached out and touched them.

Quickly he moved towards Loki, pleased by the fact that he swiveled on the stool to greet him properly and held out his arms to embrace him. Within seconds, Tony eased into Loki's arms and kissed him without any hesitation whatsoever; groaning into the contact and the exotic taste that exuded from his former student's lips.

They kissed in a rushed fury, as they had during their initial sexual encounter. They didn't waste any time with niceties or gentleness; instead they delved head-first into their physical attraction. Loki's tongue darted out and licked at his lips hungrily, and Tony was quick to grant him access into his mouth; where their tongues tangled with one another and they tasted the other.

Tony grunted as his hands found their way into Loki's hair, and drew him as close as he could. The feat wasn't a difficult one either; not when Loki wrapped his obscenely long legs around his waist, due to his seated position still. And while there were multiple layers in between them; it felt heavenly to be pressed that close to him.

The world dissolved around them. Tony got drunk on the taste of Loki; the smell of him and the feel of his hair between his fingers. The grip on his waist was perfect too; just the right amount of pressure to make his cock spring halfway to life.

God only knew that he wanted to remain attached to Loki's mouth for a very long time, but his need for oxygen dictated his actions even more so than his lust. Reluctantly he drew away, and took in a lungful of air; panting like an animal in heat, which wouldn't have been that far from the truth.

"Take me to bed, Tony." Loki said then, the epitome of lusty desire.

"But the sushi,"

"It can wait as you fuck my ass until I scream."

"When you put it that way…"

"I won't take no for an answer. And might I warn you, I can be very persuasive." Loki nipped at his bottom lip, hard enough to make his cock leap in want.

"Sex now, sushi later; but you have to promise me you'll stay."

"For you, anything,"

"Good boy." Tony kissed him again, before disengaging himself from those perfectly long appendages. "Soon enough you'll know the way to my bedroom without any guidance."

"Oh, I hope so; I truly do."


	23. Chapter Twenty-two :: Consequences Be Damned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evidently hell froze over; that's the only reason I would be updating this. Other than that, listening to Ellie Goulding's "Under the Sheets (Monster Remix)" helped too.

* * *

 

**Chapter Twenty-two :: Consequences Be Damned**

 

* * *

 

They moved in tandem; a well-oiled machine with a common goal in mind. Loki had been intimate with many people; he'd felt a connection, a fluidity with them, but none compared to the one he felt with Tony. It was intimate, brand new, and exhilarating.

Within moments of climbing the stairs to the second floor, they had begun to shed one another's clothing. They ripped and pulled at any fabric in between them; determined to expose skin and taste and touch it, although their mouths remained firmly attached for most of the journey to the bedroom. They kissed until Loki was dizzy and oxygen deprived, and heady on the taste of alcohol on Tony's tongue; which was precisely what he needed.

The past few days, quite frankly weeks, had been a non-stop emotional rollercoaster. Everything bad that could have possibly happened had. Things that should have been solid had been shaken to their very core and toppled over; destroyed and reduced to rubble at his feet. All because Loki couldn't control himself when it came to his former high school teacher; who seemed so much more brilliant than any other person Loki had ever met.

There was something about Tony; he was special, far beyond his stature and physical attributes. Even his prowess in the bedroom was secondary compared to the emotional connection Loki somehow established within such a short period of time. And he couldn't necessarily say he wanted an emotional connection with Tony either; not when he knew Tony wasn't a gay man.

It was a train wreck in the making; god only knew how awfully it would end. Yet that seemed like a faraway concern now. Every time Tony nipped at his bottom lip, rolled his tongue in lazy swipes with his, and ran his work-worn hands across the sensitive skin stretched across his hips; Loki had difficulty denying how emotionally compromised he truly was. Because it felt earth shatteringly right; something told him that he should be here, wrapped in an intimate embrace with Tony.

Somehow or another, they managed to stumble into the bedroom. Both of them had been freed of their shirts and their belts had been unbuckled, permitting easy access to their flies. Tony pulled away from the constant assault on Loki's mouth, breathing heavily, and visibly flushed an attractive color of red which would have matched perfectly with his disposed of button-up. He looked positively sinuous and Loki wanted nothing more than to kiss him again and again, but Tony had other things in mind.

Tony leaned into him, pressing hot kisses against his shoulder; while his hands worked methodically and precise to unbutton and unzip his jeans. The blood in Loki's body rushed southward, almost to a dizzying effect; amplified even more than only moments ago. His erection strained painfully against the denim of his fly, made worse by that devious mouth tasting the extent of his skin, and finding its mark on the colorful mural on his arm.

The sensation was electrifying, easily drawing out soft gasps of approval from Loki. One of his hands sought out Tony's once meticulously styled hair, and ran his fingers through it; although his true motive was to keep Tony close and tending to his arm with that brilliant tongue of his. Which continued its path across the loops and swirls and soft lines, nimbuses really, that made up the background of the design.

Tony seemed to have an unspoken fascination with his tattoos. Maybe it was because he hadn't any of his own, or maybe he understood (vaguely even) that his tattoos represented more than just his name. Initially, it had only been a design based around mythology but Loki embraced each representation and perhaps aligned himself with the moral behind each myth.

His tattoos were an important part of him, and it was exhilarating to know that Tony wanted to spend a lengthy period of time on them. Tony kissed across Fenrir, the most dominant portion of Loki's sleeve, as his hands eased open his jeans, and hurriedly moved to pull them down. That drew another noise from Loki, especially since the pressure on his groin had gotten to almost uncomfortable proportions.

"God, you are beautiful." Tony said in between kisses, before he focused his attention on freeing Loki from his jeans; which proved to be a greater feat by the snug fit and his booted feet.

"You've seen me before."

"Not exactly like this. Now I can appreciate you, even if we're rushing things again. Maybe one day we can take things slow."

"Maybe," Loki replied noncommittally, as he attempted to step out of his boots without bending over to do so.

While he tried to maneuver out of his footwear, Tony withdrew and busied himself with freeing himself of his last articles of clothing. They worked without finesse; Loki almost lost his balance, as he got off one boot and hurried to kick off the other; whereas Tony had gotten both his shoes off and his trousers down around his knees, leaving him only in his boxer briefs, and displaying his very apparent erection.

Soon enough, they were both stripped down to nothing. Loki's eyes inspected Tony from head to toe. Tony's body was beautiful, well-toned and healthy; hardly a body that you'd assume someone in their forties would have. Every inch was better than the last, and Loki wanted nothing more than to kiss and lick and touch every part of him. But for now he needed some quick relief.

Automatically, they reached for one another and sought each other's mouths again. Tony bore down on him with a demanding kiss, pushing his tongue into his mouth, which sent a bolt of pleasure directly to Loki's groin; intense enough to cause him to loop his arms around Tony in an impenetrable embrace, just so he could have skin to skin contact with him.

Their hands roamed wildly over one another's bodies, eager and touch deprived. Loki dragged his hands across the expanse of Tony's back, while Tony's danced in between his hips and flanks. Each touch seemed to ignite an even greater fire in Loki's belly, and spread the ache of arousal all over; especially since his erection was trapped between their bodies, and had yet to be caressed or even touched for that matter.

Withdrawing from the kiss, Loki heaved and drank in some much needed air. His lips were sore and his skin irritated by the burn of Tony's facial hair. He should have been used to by now, though. Fandral had had facial hair too and more often than not Bucky forgone shaving and maintained an attractive five o'clock shadow.

"I hope you have lube." He said, as he backpedaled to the bed; drawing Tony along with him without any resistance whatsoever.

"I had some foresight for once. At least I hoped you'd come around after that little stint in my classroom."

"You act personally offended by it. Might I remind you, you were the one who dared me to show up."

"I didn't have any clue you were that crazy." Tony smiled widely; a gorgeous smile, really.

Rather than reply verbally, Loki returned the smile and dropped unceremoniously onto the awaiting mattress. Tony was quick to stand between his outspread legs, giving him easy access to intimate parts of his anatomy that he eagerly took advantage of.

Resting his hands onto his hips, Loki pressed a soft kiss to the chiseled muscle of Tony's stomach. His tongue slipped free from his mouth, tracing the groove of the muscle languidly; getting a thrill from the way the muscles contracted by the light but thorough treatment.

Tony whispered out an unsavory expletive, and continued to allow Loki to lavish his body in affection. They hadn't gotten much foreplay into their previous session, which needed to be rectified; albeit Loki didn't want to prolong it more than a few minutes at the most. Not when they could experience something far more pleasurable instead.

Just the mere idea of being stretched by Tony's impressive girth was enough to drive Loki crazy. His whole body burned in anticipation, demanding to be filled and stretched open. And that dictated the direction of his mouth. He soon abandoned Tony's stomach and traveled lower, until his lips could brush over the swollen head of Tony's erection.

Precum had already begun to bead at the slit, and smeared across the seam of Loki's lips as he continued to kiss at the head. Regardless of knowing the dangers of his actions, he hardly was perturbed when he tasted the saltiness of Tony on his tongue. If anything, it only heightened his arousal further. Because he knew, in the very least, that Tony was clean and another (intentional) slip-up wouldn't be that dire. Not with the state of his life nowadays.

They could explore unprotected sex now, even if it was ill-advised. But Loki didn't care, not when he had such a perfect specimen in front of him that he wanted to taste fully. And that's exactly what he did; he opened his mouth and swirled his tongue over the crown of Tony's cock, and drank in the appreciative noise that came from above him.

Strong hands found their way onto the top of his head, wordlessly urging him to continue his ministrations which he gladly did. His tongue traced across the slit, savoring in the taste that was solely Tony's; before he then moved downward still and over the thick and veiny shaft. Which only made Loki's own erection twitch in anticipation for what Tony would inevitably do to him soon enough.

Something ached and thrummed inside of him, an anticipatory sensation. He wanted nothing more than to be propped in Tony's lap, snugly seated on his cock, and rolling his hips until ecstasy overwhelmed him completely. He'd wanted to ride Tony for years now, and he would be damned if he didn't do so tonight.

Slowly Loki drew his tongue upward again, before he closed his lips over the head and sucked on it. Tony made a throaty noise and clutched onto his hair tightly. That reaction only compelled Loki's actions further; he hollowed his cheeks and increased the suction that normally had his lovers moaning gibberish. Tony wasn't an exception either.

Several curses escaped Tony, drawn out and dirty. Loki's hand slipped in between his thighs, and took his aching erection into his grasp. He stroked himself several times, as he sunk lower onto the thick member that stretched his lips apart almost painfully.

"Jesus Christ," Tony tugged on his hair several times, until he effectively pulled him away. "That's awesome but I really need to fuck you instead."

"If only you'll let me ride your thick, hard cock until I scream."

"You're killing me here. Just to think I could have had this for years."

"Would you have fucked me when I was still your student?" Loki purred, as his thumb teased over the leaky head of his member; although it would have felt ten times better if Tony had been doing it.

There were so many things he wanted to explore with his former teacher. He wanted Tony to wrap his perfect mouth around his dick, and suck him to the verge of orgasm; then jerk him off until he came all over his face. He wanted Tony to tongue open his ass, and then pound it so hard he couldn't walk in the morning. The possibilities were endless, the pleasures innumerable, and he wanted them all now.

"That's a loaded question." Tony said, as glided his thumb across Loki's lower lip. "If I had known you were this sexy, this willing to please, I might have jeopardized my whole career for you. Especially if you promised to ride my cock like you did just now; that is worthy of a sacrifice like that."

"I would have ridden you back then. You couldn't have kept me off your cock, _Tony_."

"Oh yeah, you'd be my slutty little student?"

"Absolutely," Loki opened his lips and let Tony slip his thumb in between them.

As wantonly as he sucked on Tony's dick, he reproduced the same enthusiasm with his thumb. He lapped at the calloused pad, and made a point to moan as much as he could. Which was further fueled by the desire reflected in Tony's eyes; he knew Tony wanted him unequivocally and that was the best feeling in the world.

"Let's do this." Tony pulled his thumb free from his mouth, before he moved towards the side table and pulled open the drawer.

Loki couldn't help but admire his former teacher's chiseled behind. He wanted nothing more than to grab onto it, as Tony pounded into him relentlessly and made him climax harder than he ever had before.

Tony turned back around, now in possession of a bottle of lubrication and a condom packet. Loki watched as Tony joined him onto the bed, although he moved further onto the bed, and spread out invitingly across the mattress. It was an obscene and titillating sight; Tony opened his legs widely, displaying his heavy sac and the slightest glimpse of his ass. His erection was a lovely shade of red and beaded with precum again, ready to be ridden into ecstasy.

With a predatory smile, Loki closed the distance between them. He straddled Tony and leaned inward until they were face to face. Despite the reservations that he had about getting too involved, Loki felt like he was free falling while looking into Tony's eyes. A feeling all too familiar to him, when it came to his former relationships; which was both terrifying and exciting.

For several moments they shared a prolonged look; a heavy and serious one, but oh-so wonderful. Tony reached up and cupped his cheeks, before pressing a warm kiss to his lips. Loki felt himself melt into the kiss, and effectively broke down the last of his defenses.

There was something about Tony that was magnetic, and it kept pulling him back in over and over again. He supposed it was the way he smiled crookedly, laughed as if he hadn't a care in the world, and his vast and endless intelligence. Everything that made him such a wonderful teacher was rooted in his character, and none of those attributes had eroded since Loki left high school. If anything, they were only that much more vibrant and apparent.

"Got to open you up," Tony broke the kiss and murmured against his lips; while both his hands crumbled away from his face. One dropped onto the swell of his ass, as the other fumbled with the lube for several moments; before it too came to rest against the crease of his ass.

Tony's lubed fingers teased him slowly, dancing along the crease of his ass; which wiped away any sound and emotional thought from Loki's head. His hips rolled of their own volition, in a feeble attempt to dictate Tony's movements. And he was blessed by a familiar pressure against his entrance.

By no means was Loki unprepared for Tony. In between his previous intimacy with Bucky and his own methods of self-pleasure, he was loose enough to take most of Tony's cock. But he suspected he would still be stretched far more than he usually was, due to the sheer girth of his former teacher's assets.

There was very little resistance, as Tony penetrated him with two thick fingers. It didn't lessen any of the pleasure he felt, though. Tony was forceful and demanding with stretching him open; only because he knew he could take it that he _wanted_ to take it.

Soft sounds of approval rippled out of Loki; heightened exponentially by the expression on Tony's face that had been a fantasy for so many years. He loved the way Tony looked both focused and fucked out; how he seemed methodical and reckless in the way he touched him. There was a method to his madness, and tapped into a hidden desire Loki hadn't truly unearthed before; nor had any of his other lovers for that matter.

With a particularly sharp jab from Tony's fingers, Loki was suddenly bombarded by stars across his vision. His whole body tensed and contracted, as a rush of ecstasy overtook him from head to toe. Loki grabbed onto the quilted duvet, as if that would somehow keep him grounded as Tony brushed against his prostate in confident swipes that were almost as accurate as when Bucky did it.

"Oh god," he cried out, before his mouth was smothered by Tony's; and the fingers inside him stretched apart several times, only to be withdrawn seconds later. It was apparent that he couldn't possibly take that treatment for any longer than that, unless it ended in premature ejaculation.

Thankfully he hadn't had to live through that sort of embarrassment, which would have ruined his plans for the evening on top of it all too. His goal was firmly cemented in his mind still, and he was determined to see it through one way or another. But he needed a few moments to recover; so he wouldn't end up perched halfway on Tony, and coming like an inexperienced teenager. Well, maybe if he had still been in high school that would have been the way things would have ended up.

"Not too bad at this sex thing, huh," Tony chuckled, as he drew curlicues across one of Loki's cheeks.

"That wasn't sex."

"Not yet, but soon. My dick is so hard it hurts."

"Dirty old man," Loki pushed himself up, and found the condom packet lying beside the bottle of lube.

For a split-second he thought about forgoing protection, as he considered previously but common sense kicked in and overruled any desire he might have felt to feel Tony without any barrier between them. Loki ripped open the packet, before fishing out the rubber. He then eagerly rolled it onto Tony's cock with practiced ease, pulling an appreciative noise from the older man.

Once the condom was on, Loki drizzled plenty of lubricant onto Tony's member. It would help with drag some, although Loki wasn't exactly opposed to a little pain. He knew it was inevitable with how much girth Tony possessed, and he was already anticipating the burn as he sank lower and lower onto that beautiful cock.

With no more than a look, maybe even an affectionate one, Loki positioned himself appropriately above Tony's lap. He reached backwards and took him into hand, before he lowered himself and felt the bulbous head against his entrance. And it was a sensation that temporarily robbed him of his breath due to anticipation.

Tony reached up and cupped his hips, and urged him to sit. Loki readily did as Tony wanted him to do. He felt the head of Tony's cock breach him, and open him up pleasurably. But the burn soon flared up, as he took more and more of Tony inside of him.

"That's it, baby." Tony encouraged huskily. "Take every inch, so good just like that."

"Yes, Mr. Stark." He groaned, when he finally settled fully into Tony's lap. "Your cock is so thick and girth-y."

"Fuck, I wanted to be inside you for so long."

"Now you are." He experimentally rolled his hips, despite the pain.

The sensation was both shockingly pleasurable and uncomfortable. Fire and ecstasy built up in the lower portion of his body, as he continued with his slow but measured movements. He knew that burn would go away soon enough, though; which only inspired him to speed up his actions slowly but surely.

As he predicted, the pleasure only continued to intensify as his body grew accustom to Tony. The heaviness of Tony inside of him was utterly erotic, as was the feeling of Tony's hands that gripped his hips and then slipped around to grope his bottom. But still the most exciting thing was that he was with the man he dreamt of for so many years. Maybe in the future they could delve into some roleplaying too; well, if they had a future to speak of.

That was a secondary concern currently, though. Right now the main goal was to extend their combined pleasure, until they both were dizzy and consumed with it. Loki started to ride Tony with far more purposeful gyrations. He moved his hips in wider circles, while he kept his eyes on Tony; whose face scrunched up in obvious satisfaction. And that spurred him on even more.

Resting his hands onto Tony's chest, Loki used them for leverage. He felt Tony's cock drag in and out of him, which did extraordinary things to him. It stretched him open relentlessly and prodded at his insides in just the right way, and made him moan loud and wantonly.

"Goddammit, you are so tight." Tony rasped, before bucking his hips upward. "So good,"

"You love my hole, don't you?"

"Fuck yeah, baby."

"I fantasized about this while in chemistry." Loki choked out, as he lost himself to his body's whims.

As he usually did while intimate, Loki surrendered himself over to his base needs. He lifted himself halfway off of Tony's member, before dropping back down, and repeating the practice in an endless cycle. Pleasure flared up with every roll of his hips and with every lift and fall of his body. He rode Tony without pause, almost losing his rhythm due to sheer eagerness.

His muscles contracted and clenched around Tony's cock, as he felt a wave of pleasantness wash over him. That fueled his already increasingly erratic movements even more. He loved how snugly Tony fitted into him and how those greedy and powerful hands ran up his thighs, across his ass, and splayed over his lower back. He felt both in control, but also completely controlled too.

"Such a bad boy," Tony whispered hoarsely, as he drove his hips upward, burying himself as deeply as he could into Loki from his supine position.

The motion knocked the breath out of Loki. He made a yelping noise, which would have been embarrassing had it not been for mind-numbing pleasure that gripped his body from the inside-out. Tony had hit his prostate dead-on; far quicker than what was the norm with his other lovers. And he seemed to sense it, and chose to take full advantage of Loki's lack of movement.

Tony planted his hands back onto his hips, before fucking into him as best as he could. The stimulation caused Loki's limbs to jerk; his legs feebly attempted to open even farther than they already were, and his arms shot out to grab onto the headboard. But he didn't remain dormant for long; he chose instead to contribute to their efforts to get off once more. With every thrust up, Loki matched it with one angled down.

Appreciative sounds soon filled the bedroom, although the most prevalent was the obscene din of skin hitting skin. The rhythm they had built was falling apart with every passing moment. They were becoming erratic and careless, something that Loki loved during intimacy. He loved when the pleasure was overbearing and spread from the top of his head and all the way down to his toes. He especially loved how it scorched like a wildfire in his loins, and the burn wouldn't go away until he came long and hard and fast.

Loki gripped the headboard until his knuckles turned white, as he almost unseated himself entirely from Tony's dick. But Tony remedied it almost immediately by shoving back inside of him; targeting his prostate once more, although he came up short. It was a valiant effort nonetheless, and intensified Loki's already rapidly building orgasm.

"Fuck me, oh," he moaned in a needy voice. "Give me that big cock; oh god yes!"

"Loki," Tony managed to say in return, which sounded positively sinuous. "Y-You're going to make me come; feel too good, nice and tight. Better than any pussy,"

"Mm, then fuck my tight little ass until I scream,"

"Like it when your dirty old man fucks you, huh?"

"Mm-hmm," Loki tried to move quicker than he already was; disregarding how his thighs began to scream and ache by his continuous rutting about.

"Going to fuck you until you're loose," Tony emphasized his words with another thrust upward that had Loki crying out in higher decibel than he had only moments ago. "Little whore,"

"Y-Yes, I'm your little whore! Oh god, Tony,"

"Dreaming about this in class, you slut,"

"Uh-huh, wanted your thick cock," Loki babbled mindlessly. "Always wanted it,"

Everything was coming to a head; the build-up was buzzing in Loki's veins. He knew they were both close to a messy and incredible climax. Tony grunted and cussed underneath him, and clenched his hips as if they were his lifeline; which drove Loki absolutely mad with desperation. But he wasn't given the opportunity to revel in it anymore.

"Going to come," Tony bit out, and then forced Loki off of his dick. That was quickly followed by the snap of the condom being taken off.

Loki managed to maneuver himself in way that would accommodate to both of them better. He lowered himself onto Tony's thighs, and moved to take both their achy erections into his grasp. The sensation of skin on skin was enough to make them both moan in appreciation; although it was nothing in comparison to wonderful feeling of being stroked in just the right way.

"Come for me, Tony. Want you to come all over my cock. Just want your cum." He jerked them off progressively faster, and marveled in the way Tony's mouth hung open with heavy breaths. "Tony, Tony, _Tony_ ,"

"Fuck, oh fuck, oh," Tony threw his head back, as his whole body tensed; before he came in a hot spurt that flew every which way. And that was the final push that Loki needed too.

His climax roared through him so intensely, he almost doubled over from the force of it. He came hard and long; his muscles clenched and his vision wavered, and various sounds, babble really, rushed out of him in a steady stream. One word was discernible amid the noise, and it was Tony's name. It fell from his lips over and over again; as if he couldn't control himself at all.

The aftermath was equally intense. Even as Loki collapsed in a sweaty heap on top of Tony, he could feel the tremors of his orgasm still; which probably explained why he didn't vie away from Tony as he looped his arms loosely around him. He was just as fucked out as he was, and neither found it necessary to say anything.

For now, it was okay just to lie in one another's arms; sticky and hot but content and pleased all the same. Loki didn't bother to second guess himself in that moment, even as he nosed Tony's throat and inhaled the combination of aftershave, sex, and perspiration. And he definitely didn't question himself when he felt himself beginning to drift off in Tony's strong but gentle arms.

It was okay not to think once in a while. And it was okay to live in the moment now; the consequences be damned.


	24. Chapter Twenty-three :: Good Enough For Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a pain in the ass to write, mostly because I opted to purge my previously written pages and restart. And this consists mostly of dialogue since I thought it was important for Tony and Loki to interact without it always being physical.

* * *

 

**Chapter Twenty-three :: Good Enough For Now**

 

* * *

 

Maybe eating sushi in bed wasn't one of Tony's better ideas. Soy sauce stained the bed sheets and an assortment of crumbs riddled every nook and cranny in between him and Loki. But that, at least, had been the upside; Loki hadn't run for the door like he had last time. In fact, he had woken up in Tony's arms with a bleary but soft smile on his lips and a pleasant disposition.

The thought of waking up next to someone new, honestly hadn't had an appeal until now. Tony couldn't say what exactly was happening between him and Loki; except that he liked the trajectory of it so far. He enjoyed Loki's company and was in awe with his obvious intelligence. Not to mention the sex was to die for, which only sweetened the deal.

"Have you done this often?" Loki smirked around the lip of his wine goblet. "Have dinner in bed, I mean?"

"Can't say I have; most of the time I kick out anyone who's already put up a stellar performance between the sheets."

"Have there been many performances between these particular sheets, I wonder?"

"Is that a subtle way of asking about my sexual history? Because I have to tell you, I am not ashamed of that." Tony picked up a California roll from the sushi platter in between them, before he popped it into his mouth, and moaned in pleasure.

Loki arched an eyebrow, while he downed the rest of his wine. There was a mischievous air about him that was maddeningly sexy, and one that Tony wanted to see over and over again. In his lust fueled mind, he knew that was a sight he'd love to see for years to come. And not just in between random hook-ups either. No, he wanted something more substantial.

Over the past few weeks, his desire for more had been becoming more and more apparent. Loki had invaded his thoughts and set his heart aflame, in a way that not even Pepper had. But he was slowly coming to the realization that Pepper was only a convenience for him; a safety net, really. He probably served the same purpose for her too.

For years Tony had known intellectually that their relationship was more explosive than passionate. It was hard to discern the difference between those two traits because they were so similar; yet he had managed to figure it out eventually, once the infidelity increased and the verbal spats between them became a common occurrence.

"So how many partners have you had then, Tony?" Loki set his glass onto the side table with an even bigger smirk on his lips. "Or is the number too great, you couldn't possibly remember all of them if you tried?"

"Sweetheart, I have a good twenty years of sexual activity on you. And trust me, I couldn't even tell you how many people I fucked when I was in college. There's no way I could give you an exact number now. But I could give you the number of people I slept with this year."

"Are you saying you've slowed down in your old age?"

"You're hilarious, you know that. That kind of comment would have landed you in detention." Tony picked up another piece of sushi from the tray and ate it. "If you must know, I have been in some kind of unhealthy attachment for years now. It's kind of hard to get any side action, when you're spending most of your time fighting with your sort of significant other."

"Oh yes, I remember that redheaded girlfriend of yours. People liked to talk about your personal life quite a bit while I was in school." Loki ran his hand down his naked chest, almost in a seductive way. "I was positively jealous of her."

"Trust me; Pepper wasn't exactly living the high life with me. She'd think you were crazy for being jealous of her." He admitted.

Honestly, it was probably a god send that they had broken up permanently now. Remaining in such a toxic relationship had taken its toll on both of them, and while they did love one another; it stopped being a romantic love for Tony a long time ago. Besides, having to deal with Pepper going back to Aldrich Killian whenever they fought drove him to the brink of insanity.

"Did I hear you correctly? Your former girlfriend is named Pepper?" Loki choked out a pleased laugh. "That sounds more like a dog's name than a human's! I can only imagine the dirty talk you must have had, Tony! Come, Pepper, come!"

"That's her nickname, okay! For your information her real name's Virginia. And I never had to beg her to come; I knew how to make her come almost every single time we were together. Except, you know, when I was drunk or super horny, but that's beside the point."

"Beside the point indeed,"

"Okay, let's get off my personal life and talk about yours instead. Since you're so young and unattached, I'm sure you'd put my old man stories of domesticity to shame." He said and got another laugh for his troubles.

Loki appeared to be a little tipsy, which had loosened him exponentially; although the sex definitely helped on that front too. Or maybe his former student was finally warming up to him, beyond the scope of physicality. Tony hoped that was the case, at least.

Something told him that they could be good together. They had similar interests, had great sexual chemistry and their intelligence seemed well-matched too. He couldn't think of a better foundation for relationship than that. Or maybe that was a disastrous sort of thinking; he couldn't tell anymore.

"I could count my sexual partners on both hands, easily." Loki sat up. "I lost my virginity at an all-boys school in Europe to a chocolate-haired, green-eyed deity named Jean-Luc. I then fucked another boy at the school named Sacha.

"Once I returned to the states, I slept with a boy named Matthew; the worst bloody lay in my whole sexual history. Afterwards there was, Christian, Eric, Mark, my beloved friend James, my ex Fandral, and you. So nine in total; all safe sex too, besides my first time with you."

"You've fucked your friend?"

"Why shouldn't I? He has an amazing dick and a talented mouth, and neither of us wants to be in a relationship with one another. It's the perfect way to have an orgasm without the risk, without any attachment too."

"You're a lot kinkier than I initially gave you credit for."

"Kinky doesn't mean risky, though." Loki reached out and stroked Tony's cheek. "I take my personal health, seriously. The likelihood that I could contract something is exponentially high, due to my sexual preferences. I know that all too well; my mother was diligent about hammering that fact into my head all throughout my teenage years."

"It's no wonder why you freaked out." Tony leaned into Loki's touch, and enjoyed that moment of intimacy between them. God only knew when Loki would pull up his defenses again, and take them back to square one.

Tony didn't hold it against him, though. Whatever was evolving between them was a little frightening and definitely fast-paced. Not to mention their former affiliation made things both strange and exciting. But Tony didn't want to dwell solely on their past as teacher and student; it had been close to ten years since Loki had been in his classroom, and that shouldn't deter them from pursuing a relationship if they wanted to. Even if public opinion said otherwise.

"You are a mystery to me, Tony Stark."

"I think it's the other way around, sweetheart. I'm an open book. You, on the other hand, are a damn encrypted code. I haven't figured you out yet. But give me some time and I'll crack you."

"Only if I let you," Loki withdrew his hand, before he flopped dramatically to the bed. "I'd like to stay the night. I'm too impaired to drive. That wine has gone to my head already. And you wouldn't want me to risk my life either, I presume."

"Next time you come over, I'll make a point to give you more wine. So long as you promise to stay, of course,"

"Of course," Loki parroted.

Once Loki had gotten into a comfortable position, Tony picked up the platter of sushi and deposited it carelessly onto the floor. Come morning, he knew he'd regret not tossing it away into the garbage; but for right now it really wasn't a priority. Not when he had Loki compliant in his bed without any plans on leaving at the moment.

That felt like an important step in the right direction. Of course, that was far from a commitment; Tony really couldn't say that's exactly what he wanted right now either. In the future, maybe; for right now though, this was good enough for him.

Carelessly, he tried to clean away the evidence of their dinner from the sheets. Bits of rice and wasabi were brushed onto the floor, before Tony lied down on his side in order to face Loki. Loki rolled onto his side too, so they were face to face now and only a few inches from one another; which felt far more intimate than even the sexual interlude earlier in the evening.

"This is pretty nice, you know, having you here." He smiled.

"I never took you for a romantic, Tony. I suppose there's a lot that I'm not aware about you."

"Hey, maybe if you stick around then you'll unravel all the mysteries around me."

"Maybe so," Loki leaned into him, before he nuzzled his jaw lightly; which made Tony's bare skin break out in goose bumps. "Maybe I'll stay longer than I previously believed I would."

The likelihood that the alcohol was influencing Loki's actions and words was decently high; however, Tony wanted to believe otherwise. Alcohol was known to be a truth serum to a degree. He knew from first-hand experience. But he knew better than to take anything at face value as of yet too.

"That sounds promising."

"You're very convincing."

"I've been told that before. But it sounds a lot sweeter coming from you for some reason." Tony replied on the cusp of being solemn all of the sudden. "I don't know why either. You're pretty magnetic, Loki. Maybe too magnetic even,"

Loki's mouth quirked and something genuine sparked in his eyes. It wasn't the mischievous, coy, or lusty expression that had dominated his eyes all evening either. Tony knew that he was looking at the real Loki; not the one lost in ecstasy or tipsy on wine. This one was the real deal.

"I'm terrified of you." Loki chuckled softly. "This was only supposed to be a fling; my chance to fulfill a lifelong fantasy. Yet here I am and here you are, and I'm confused by you and scared of you and absolutely enamored with you. That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Trust me, I hadn't expected this either."

"Sometimes the best things in life are unexpected. Or maybe this is a disaster the making; I haven't decided yet."

"I'm going to be optimistic about this, you know. For once in my life, I'm going to keep the faith and pray for the best. And I'm not even religious."

"You make me want this." Loki brushed a kiss to the corner of Tony's mouth. "You make me want you, Tony. Maybe I'll even have you in the end. I'm not going to make any promises to you, especially if I won't make any promises to myself."

"I'm not looking for any promises. I'll take you in any capacity that I can have you."

"For now,"

"Yeah, for now," Tony kissed Loki gently and decided this was good enough for now. They'd figure things out with time; there wasn't any rush. At least not for him anyway.


	25. Chapter Twenty-four :: The Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know many of you have wanted an update for this story. Please be patient with me; this story isn't exactly one I find very much joy in writing anymore. So sometimes it'll take me longer to get something published. None of my stories have been abandoned.

* * *

 

**Chapter Twenty-four :: The Confession**

 

* * *

 

Bucky knew as soon as he saw Loki. Call it intuition, call it a gut feeling, or maybe it was just plain 'ol familiarity; whatever it was, he knew and he felt his stomach drop. He didn't know the full story yet, so he couldn't judge his best friend completely. But there was enough information exuding off of him that it spoke for itself.

Snapping off his black latex gloves, he tried not to curl his lip in annoyance. Loki had a bounce to his step, one that only appeared when something very good had happened. For the first months of Loki's relationship with Fandral, he'd been in the best mood of his life. And now it felt like a shot of déjà vu.

"I don't even want to know." Bucky said brusquely as Loki leaned against the doorway of his designated tattooing room. "It's way too early for this."

"It's nine-thirty at night." Loki laughed in that carefree way that made his skin crawl.

All signs pointed to the inevitable – infatuation. Loki was infatuated with his former teacher with the nice dick, which would have been fine and dandy if it wasn't for the fact the man was notoriously straight from all the accounts he heard.

"So you came over here to gloat?" He asked, as he tossed his soiled gloves into the trash bin close-by. "Let me guess, you had some kind of amazing night with your old teacher. You had great sex and even better conversation, and you're going to do it again. Because who knows, this might lead to something more serious."

"Someone is touchy tonight." Loki walked further into the room, before collapsing into the tattooing chair that had been occupied only minutes ago by a ruggedly attractive guy named Rumlow.

There had been some mindless flirtation between them, while Bucky worked on a flaming skull on Rumlow's bicep. Nothing had come of it, unfortunately. Mixing business with pleasure always had a way of blowing up in your face anyway. So he viewed it as a bit of fun, but nothing more than that. Besides it wasn't like he was on the hunt for someone to warm his bed nowadays either.

Loki, on the other hand, seemed to be unconsciously set on finding someone to start a relationship with once more. Maybe he'd gotten used to the comforts of domesticity. Or maybe he was letting his lust guide him towards what inevitably could be a train wreck of a relationship. Since he was repeating a very obvious pattern now that anyone with a set of eyes could see.

It was bad enough watching Loki fawn over Fandral when they began to date. Bucky had endured the anecdotes of Fandral's brilliance and thoughtfulness without saying a negative word about the situation. He had watched their relationship progress and for the most part kept his mouth shut. Because Loki was happy and that's all he ever wanted for his best friend, despite all his reservations about the whole torrid affair.

"You know what I think you need?" Loki spoke up with a coy smile. "I think you need to get laid. You need to find some dark and mysterious stranger, and let him have his wicked way with you."

"Yeah, and you need to get a clue." He retorted haughtily, while he pushed his stool backwards to his desk that was littered with half-drawn tattoo designs and receipts.

He sorted through the mess absentmindedly, as if that would somehow keep the oncoming storm at bay. Anytime anyone opened their mouth about Loki's personal choices, it always had a way of backfiring on the concerned party. He'd been on the receiving end of it many times before, and he suspected it would happen many more times in the future. Well, unless Loki got angry enough to cut him out of his life that is.

"Is that so? Why do you think I need to get a clue?" Loki asked with an edge to his tone.

"Do I even need to say it for Christ's sake?"

"Humor me."

"Oh, let's see," Bucky spun around so he could stare at his best friend. "You are repeating history here, Loki. And from an outsider's perspective, you are playing with fire."

Loki arched his eyebrow, but looked otherwise unaffected by what Bucky had said. It was one of the most frustrating things about being friends with him. While he didn't always display it, Loki believed he was always right. Except when he'd get into relationships with guys that were ultimately bad for him anyway; and then he'd let his partner stomp all over him if they wanted to.

It wasn't to say that Fandral did stomp all over Loki. But their relationship had felt unbalanced from the get-go with Fandral dictating what happened and when it did. Case in point, having an open relationship where he ran off to sleep with as many women as he could; while Loki sat around on the sidelines (unless he decided he needed a quickie with Bucky).

"You know how you hate when I call you the starter gay? Well, unfortunately that's exactly what you are." Bucky crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "You fell head over heels for Fandral, didn't you? Even though you knew he only fucked around with girls. But he considered you the exception of the rule; you were the only guy he'd fuck. And how did that turn out? You ended up in an open relationship when you didn't even want to be in one."

"I have a few fantastic nights with Tony, and you're comparing it to my relationship with Fandral?"

"For one, the morning after your first fantastic night wasn't so pretty. I don't think I have to jog your memory about it. And two, you have a lovesick look on your face right now that I've only seen when it came to your ex-boyfriend. So what am I supposed to think, Loki?"

"You should be happy for me, considering you're supposed to be my best friend."

"Well, I guess I'm not your best friend after all. Because I'm worried about you; I'm worried that you're getting involved with some guy who's supposedly straight and it'll probably end up the same way your relationship with Fandral did." Bucky scowled. "The commodity will wear off pretty fast, Loki. And your dream man's going to leave you for some woman just because he can't help himself."

"You act like you know a lot about being with someone who is a self-described heterosexual." Loki bit out, seemingly on the verge of screaming himself raw.

It had been years since they'd been in a shouting match. The last time had been when they'd attempted to be a couple. Bucky couldn't remember the details, beyond the fact it had been pretty nasty and led them to eventually break things off romantically; which was definitely for the best.

"You're not the only one who's an idiot, you know." He confessed and quickly turned back to his desk.

Shame washed over Bucky rather quickly. There were only a few things that Loki didn't know about him. For the most part, his best friend knew the most important details about his life. But there were also events that he kept to himself out of sheer humiliation.

Unlike Loki, he hadn't had many meaningful relationships. His longest relationship had been fourteen months, and even then it hadn't been about love; it had been a way to chase away the loneliness and boredom that single life oftentimes came with.

The only time he had felt helplessly and hopelessly in love was about three years ago. It had been an unorthodox relationship (if it could even be described as that), and it had left lifelong scars on him; although he was very good at hiding his feelings. Not even Loki could detect it, which had been a relief at the time.

"What are you trying to say?" Loki asked; the venom had disappeared from his voice, and was instead replaced by obvious confusion. "What do you mean I'm not the only idiot?"

"Exactly what I said; you aren't the only idiot who has messed around with straight guys." Bucky confessed, as he blindly sifted through the bits of paper on his desk again. "Remember a couple of summers ago when I kept going to the city? And I said it was because I was apprenticing underneath another tattoo artist?"

"I do remember."

"Yeah, well I wasn't apprenticing under anyone. I was seeing this guy; I met him at an art exhibit by chance. I didn't think anything of it, you know. If you saw the guy, you wouldn't think older businessman seeks fucked up tattooed homo for a good time. But it happened; it went on from May through October."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Loki asked.

Bucky whistled lowly. He didn't have any excuse to tell Loki now, but the truth seemed incredibly harsh too. He had been ashamed, disgusted by himself and a slew of other things that he didn't want to tell him. And it felt appropriate to suffer in silence with his dirty little secret.

"Because I was ashamed; not only was he some well-known political type in the city. He was married with kids. He had fucking grandkids, Loki. How the fuck did you want me to tell you that?"

"Who was it, James?"

"Does it even matter? I'm just trying to tell you how stupid it is to get involved with pseudo-heterosexual. We all know they're just closeted or maybe bi, but that doesn't mean they're going to fucking admit to it. And if you stick with people like that, you're going to get your heart shattered into a million tiny, jagged pieces."

"Who was it?" Loki repeated softly.

Honestly, it didn't matter who it was. That hadn't been the point on why Bucky stripped himself bare. He didn't want to make this discussion about him; he was trying to help Loki see why it was stupid to date someone who claimed they were straight. Hell, he thought Loki would know that already since he'd been living that reality every day for years only a few weeks ago.

The identity of the man he'd been with didn't mean a thing. It wouldn't make Loki see the strength of his argument; if it had, he would have gladly declared it by now. Except, he couldn't; the name was heavy on his tongue, almost leaden even.

A soft hand landed on Bucky's shoulder suddenly. He lifted his eyes to see Loki above him with a concerned expression etched onto his features. That's when it struck him; Loki wasn't asking to be nosy but because he was worried about him. Maybe he could tell that he wanted to get it off his chest and hadn't any way to do it until now.

As much as he wanted to help Loki, Loki wanted to help him too. It remained to be seen if their efforts were going to truly help the other, but it was the thought that counted. And really it had been long enough ago to be able to say the guy's name without it having a negative connotation like for example – Voldemort.

"You might have heard of him." Bucky took in a deep breath, before smiling insincerely up at his best friend. "His name's Alexander Pierce."

The name seemed to reverberate off the walls; a series of consonants and vowels that were a force of nature. It didn't really surprise Bucky that Loki's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates either. Of course, Loki knew who Alexander Pierce was; the majority of the country's population did. Well, if they bothered to pick up a newspaper over the past four decades anyway.

"Alexander Pierce; you mean former secretary of state, Alexander Pierce?"

"In my defense that was like fifteen years ago,"

"How in the hell could you _not_ tell me this? Obviously, I wouldn't have gone around talking about it with anyone." Loki gaped at him in a way that looked almost betrayed.

"Because I was ashamed like I told you before; I was some fucking politician's dirty secret. I'd meet him at some high-class hotel and we'd spend the night together, before the wife needed him or the grandkids were staying over at his fucking mansion in the Hamptons. And then his son ran for governor, and well daddy's little gay affair couldn't be uncovered. So that was the end of that."

"You never have to be ashamed with me, Bucky."

"That wasn't the point of the story, okay. It was more of a cautionary tale." Bucky grabbed Loki's hand and squeezed it gently. "You know first-hand how it feels to be with a straight guy. Fandral might not have hidden you away, but he might as well have. He wasn't exactly forthcoming with telling his buddies who he was with. And I don't want you to go through that again; worse yet, end up in the position I was in with Alexander Pierce.

"I'm worried about you. Because can you honestly say that this guy's going to be any different than every closeted asshole we've come across in the past? Can you say with the utmost certainty that he's not going to screw you over in the end?"

Loki looked grim; the previous happiness he'd had dissipated entirely. While that hadn't been Bucky's intention, he wanted Loki to think of the reality of the situation. He didn't want him to fall into the same sort of relationship he had only gotten out of.

"Quite frankly, I don't know. I don't know if my relationship with Tony is anything but sex at the moment. But I would like to pursue it; I do care for him, even if it's stupid of me to. Unless I take this chance then I'll never know; I might lose the opportunity of a lifetime because I was scared. And trust me, Bucky; I am scared, but I'm more afraid not to take this chance."

"So I spilled my guts for nothing."

"No, you did not. You are my best friend, and the fact that you care so much about me means the world to me. I love you, Bucky. And if I end up in the same position as I was with Fandral; I give you full permission to kick me in the ass."

"I'll kick this guy's ass instead. Fair enough,"

"Fair enough, indeed," Loki smiled and bent down to press a kiss to his lips.

While it didn't reassure Bucky any at all, he knew Loki was bound to do whatever he pleased. He just hoped he would be far more cautious than he had been previously; no less far more cautious than Bucky had been when he got entangled with a well-beloved family man and democratic politician. But more than even that, he hoped Tony Stark was a stand-up guy who wouldn't put Loki through unnecessary grief. If not, well he had a steel-toed boot with his name on it.


	26. Chapter Twenty-five :: Too Much Information

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any and all grammatical errors are mine and mine alone. I do not use a beta; I haven't found anyone reliable for the job and quite frankly if you think it takes me a long time to update this story, adding in a beta would only complicate the situation further. If you find my grammar to be appalling, I would just suggest you cease to read. I don't have the time or the energy to fix every error I've made over the course of this story (or any other story) I've written.

* * *

 

**Chapter Twenty-five :: Too Much Information**

 

* * *

 

Being grounded was only the beginning of Baldur's punishment. His chore list had tripled in size and it now included yard work, toilet cleaning, and volunteer work at the community pantry his mother frequented on the weekends. Life had become an endless cycle of busy work and studying. Fun had ceased to exist for him, and it was all thanks to his own big mouth.

Had he kept his lips sealed, none of this would have happened. If he hadn't prodded a sleeping tiger then neither of his parents would be none the wiser to his close encounter with failing chemistry. But he simply couldn't help himself, and now he was reaping what he inevitably sowed. He had no one to blame but himself.

God only knew how he wanted to blame Loki for this whole mess. It would be so much easier to shift the blame elsewhere than take responsibility for it himself. Unfortunately, that wouldn't change anything; he was the cause of his own problems and now he had to live with the consequences. He only wished he was smarter to recognize this earlier on.

Slouching unhappily in his seat, Baldur watched as Mr. Stark wrote several familiar formulas on the board. His mouth was running at a rapid-fire pace, while his arms flailed with every important exclamation he made. Much of what Mr. Stark was currently prattling on about was something Baldur had been exposed to recently, considering he had strict chemistry tutor that wouldn't let him breathe without pounding the basics of the topic into his brain. So his focus wasn't quite in the present.

His mind continued to circle back to Loki. For the most part, Loki had disappeared from his life. There hadn't been any word from him, aside from the brief conversation he had had with their mother several days ago. But he didn't appear to have any intention of resuming the normal family dynamic anytime soon, and well that too was Baldur's fault.

The fact that Loki announced to the family of his break-up from Fandral in the spur of the moment, due to Baldur's taunts, was the key reason for his absence. He had told their mother as much, and she scolded Baldur just as harshly as their father had. Because not only had he been disrespectful to his elder, he had also been judgmental about whom Loki happened to be.

That hadn't been it, though. Baldur didn't care if Loki was gay. Yes, he initially made jokes at his expense about the more intimate details of his life; yet it hadn't been in a completely spiteful way. He didn't care if Loki had sex with men or women; he was his brother and brothers said mean and stupid things to one another sometimes. But it was never said out of hatred.

To be honest, Baldur missed Loki. He missed Loki and Thor raiding the kitchen cupboards together. He missed how they lightheartedly threatened to end his existence once he hit eighteen. And since Loki had disappeared from the day-to-day routine, Thor had become busier, wrapped up in his own life without any free time to spare too.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen," Mr. Stark raised his voice, having since turned away from the whiteboard. "There will be a test this upcoming Thursday. The material we've went over, chapters fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen will be on the test."

"Will we have a pre-test?" One of the girls in the front row raised her hand.

"Unlikely, but nice try; overlook those three chapters and you'll be fine. Besides, there will be a curve so you better hope Evan hits it out of the ballpark again." Mr. Stark pointed his marker at the aforementioned student. "Anyway, the bell's going to ring in the next fifteen minutes; so socialize or study amongst yourselves. And on a side note, I will need to see you after class, Mr. Odinson."

A bolt of nausea suddenly struck Baldur from all sides. That did not sound very promising and his classmates seemed to be of the same opinion. Because they already began to catcall and send out their sympathies to him, seeing as a lot of them already knew about his former struggles with the curriculum.

Mr. Stark ignored the uproar and sat down, almost smugly at his desk. Thankfully the unnecessary comments died down within seconds, and everyone returned to their own prerogative instead. But the humiliation persisted for Baldur; he slouched lower in his seat and propped his textbook in front of his face, blindly staring at the information while his mind panicked about what was to come.

As far as he knew, he wasn't completely failing the class anymore. His parents made sure of that due to their constant monitoring. His tutor was even worse, so the likelihood that he was failing seemed fairly low. Then again, he could still be flunking due to his previous performance in the beginning of the year.

The minutes ticked by at a crawl, and Baldur had thought up the worst case scenarios. He was practically counting down the seconds until the bell rang. And when it finally went off, he couldn't help but sigh in relief. He was now going to know for certain what he had done to cause this impromptu meeting between him and Mr. Stark.

His classmates quickly leapt out of their chairs, yelling their goodbyes to one another and Mr. Stark alike before they stormed the two exits. Mr. Stark remained seated, calling out to his students to quit pushing one another and to study for the upcoming exam. But his eyes did flicker across the room, as if to make certain Baldur hadn't slipped away without him noticing.

Once the stampede cleared, Baldur shoved his textbook into his backpack, stood from desk, and dragged his feet to the front of the room and directly in front of Mr. Stark's desk. Mr. Stark leaned back in his chair, not bothering to flip open his grade book which was pushed to the side of the desktop. And that only served to make Baldur even more anxious about what they were about to converse about.

"Glad you didn't run off on me, Odinson."

"How bad am I failing now?"

"Who said anything about failing?" Mr. Stark raised an eyebrow, before he sat back up completely; his casual demeanor gone.

Baldur managed to withhold a nasty comment that shot to the forefront of his mind. He didn't need to get into any more trouble; his parents would literally kill him this time around. It was a miracle that his father hadn't decided death was a better alternative to the situation since he was actively bringing shame to the family name.

"Why else would you want to talk to me after class?" He asked simply.

"Good question, wrong assumption," Mr. Stark reached for his grade book, before flipping it open to a specific page. "Odinson, Baldur; ever since you've been getting tutored by your brother, well you've been doing pretty well. The lowest grade you've gotten on an assignment so far was a seventy-three; pretty good if you ask me."

The news was oddly mind-blowing. Loki had been a decent tutor, even though he could be pretty impatient at times. Either way, Baldur had learned quite a bit and was now being pummeled by information with his professional tutor. So really he shouldn't be that surprised by his progress.

He let out a relieved noise, which seemed to amuse Mr. Stark. He smiled as he closed his grade book and pushed it aside again. While this news was good to hear, Baldur knew he still had a long road ahead of him to pass chemistry if he had any hope of graduating on time with his class.

"Your brother's been a pretty good influence on you, I'd say." Mr. Stark said.

"Uh, yeah; I mean when he was tutoring me."

"He's not tutoring you anymore? You've improved this much without any additional help?"

"No, not really," Baldur flushed brightly in embarrassment. "He kind of quit tutoring me, so now I got a different tutor. Some lady that rides my ass for hours every day after school,"

This information seemed to intrigue Mr. Stark. If possible his teacher sat straighter in his seat, although his expression really wasn't very readable. Baldur figured anything to do with Mr. Stark's former model student was bound to interest him. Teachers loved Loki, after all.

"That's funny; I figured siblings helped each other out. I mean, I wouldn't know from any firsthand experience since I am an only child. But it was always my assumption that that was kind of a requirement with being in the same family."

"Well, it was my fault. I made him pretty angry." Baldur dropped his eyes to stare at his feet, and felt another wave of shame wash over him.

If he had any guts, he would have called Loki and apologized already. Every time he picked up the phone though, he chickened out and thought about how much Loki was bound to yell at him. So he just let things stay the way they were, until Loki decided to come back around and resume their previous relationship. Well, if he ever decided he wanted to anyway.

When he lifted his eyes, Baldur saw how interested Mr. Stark really looked. It almost made him uncomfortable to see how intrigued he was by the fact he had upset Loki. Especially since Mr. Stark should know from firsthand experience how infuriating Baldur could be when he was in one of his moods; one that could almost rival one of Loki's at times.

"Loki seems like a pretty reasonable kind of guy if you ask me."

"Well, that's debatable." Baldur pulled on his backpack, unaware why he was telling Mr. Stark any of this. Maybe it was because someone actually wanted to hear him out for once without any judgment.

"Siblings fight all the time,"

"I was being kind of a dick; okay maybe a huge dick. I was intentionally pushing his buttons and he blew up on me."

"But still," Mr. Stark reasoned, which proved he really didn't know Loki that well outside of the classroom.

"I was making fun of his boyfriend." Baldur blurted out. "He's been with the guy for years and they lived together. But I never liked him; I thought he was a sleaze-bag that was beneath my brother. Loki's fucking smart and makes good money as an editor or whatever he does. And he shacked up with some idiot construction worker that I'm pretty sure cheats on him all the time. So I say shit about him; I make fun of the guy and Loki hates it."

Something shifted on Mr. Stark's face; curiosity turned to confusion and something different, although there didn't seem to be a name for it. Or at least Baldur didn't know what it was, since it really didn't make any sense being on his chemistry teacher's face anyhow. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that he had said too much.

Mr. Stark must have known Loki was gay. Even if he hadn't, he seemed pretty liberal about things. There were, after all, plenty of openly gay students around and Mr. Stark hadn't treated them any different. In fact, he seemed pretty supportive and laidback about everything of that nature.

"Your brother, Loki, has a boyfriend?" Mr. Stark asked quietly.

"I mean he _had_ one."

"Did he have one when I told you that you were failing? No less during the parent-teacher conference?"

"Well, yeah." Baldur replied and felt his confusion begin to grow. "I was at their apartment a couple of times so Loki could tutor me. Actually, the only way he agreed to even tutor me was if I was nice to his dumb boyfriend."

Maybe it was just him, but Mr. Stark looked really unhappy. His brow furrowed and his mouth thinned into an almost invisible line, which Baldur had only seen when he was being scolded for his abysmal test scores and attendance record. It wasn't a look that was very prevalent on Mr. Stark's face, which only served to confuse him even more.

Why on earth would his chemistry teacher care about Loki's relationship with Fandral? History seemed to have proven that he wasn't a close-minded individual by any means. And he hardly seemed like the type to be concerned about whatever loser Loki chose to date unless, of course…

The realization hit Baldur like a pile of bricks. Suddenly he recalled in pretty vivid detail how Loki had openly flirted with Mr. Stark during the parent-teacher conference, and how giddy his brother seemed to be after the fact. He also remembered the little instances when Mr. Stark had casually asked about Loki, and now it all made perfect sense.

"It's getting late; my mom will be waiting for me." He announced abruptly, before he shuffled his feet sideways towards the closest door. "She took away my car as a punishment."

Mr. Stark didn't seem to hear him; he seemed lost in his own thoughts, which presented the perfect opportunity for Baldur to flee. He yelled out a goodbye and rushed out the door and into the mostly empty hallway.

Despite knowing that he wasn't supposed to run in the hallway, he did so anyway. No one was there to tell him otherwise, and he really wanted to get away from Mr. Stark as quickly as possible. Because now it was pretty apparent that his stupid, idiotic older brother was fooling around with his goddamn chemistry teacher!

Mr. Stark and Loki were having some kind of affair! And it was all, technically, Baldur's fault. He had gotten Loki involved in the situation, and now he was seeing Mr. Stark and probably under Fandral's nose from the get-go too!

"You son of a bitch, Loki," he exclaimed underneath his breath, as he sped around a corner and towards the front entrance of the building. "Of all the people in the world, you're fucking my chemistry teacher!"

There were some things he didn't need to know about Loki, and this was one of them. This was the prime example of knowing way too much; this was way too much information for him to handle.

Baldur was bound to fail chemistry now for sure.


	27. Chapter Twenty-six :: He Knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping this newfound inspiration will lead to this story being finished very soon.

* * *

 

**Chapter Twenty-six :: He Knows**

 

* * *

 

This clearly was a misunderstanding. Tony slouched against the kitchen island, and tried not to overthink too much. He didn't know the circumstances of the situation; maybe they weren't as grim as he thought they were. There had to be a reasonable explanation for all of this; there always was.

"Come on, Stark. Get it together." He rapped his knuckles against his temple, as if that would somehow unearth some kind of clarity that he sorely needed. "Think positive thoughts and the rest will come. Or something like that,"

Unfortunately, his method was for naught. Positive thinking was beyond his scope, and well his mind was being pulled back into the vortex of negativity once more. He couldn't help but reflect back onto what Baldur had told him that afternoon. Every time he tried to put things into perspective, a nasty bout of jealousy and betrayal reared its ugly head again.

Baldur hadn't any reason to lie to him. He wouldn't gain anything by telling him an outlandish story about Loki being otherwise taken by someone else. In fact, he could guarantee one-hundred percent that Baldur wasn't aware of his physical relationship with his brother. Loki wouldn't have told his kid brother that, and well they technically weren't even dating in order to make any sort of announcement either.

What had been told to him in confidence was the truth. Loki had been involved with someone during their time together, and for all he knew he might be trying to repair his broken relationship now. Which would explain why Loki had been reluctant to even try and pursue things further with him; seeing as it would be pretty hard to do so while living with another man.

"This is the universe repaying me for my past infidelity." He said aloud, although there was no one there to listen to his tirade. "I cheated on Pepper first and I thought the score was settled because she cheated on me. But clearly this is my big _fuck you_. This is what karma is all about, Stark."

The whole situation was an absolute mess. He wasn't angry about the revelation, but he was disappointed by it. He really liked Loki and maybe there could have been a future between the two of them. If things had gone as swimmingly as they had during the sushi date, then there certainly could have been something more between them.

Loki had been excellent company. He was a great conversationalist, highly intelligent, and an animal in bed. They had instant chemistry that Tony honestly couldn't say that he experienced with anyone else, not even Pepper. But the situation seemed more trouble than it was worth; it seemed like he was on the losing end too.

"A construction worker, really," he blurted out abruptly. "That kid is a bona fide genius and he's dating a construction worker? I mean love is a funny thing and all, but come on!"

Dramatically, Tony dropped his head to the granite surface and allowed himself to vocalize his frustration through a series of grunts and groans. He knew he was being stupid and judgmental on top of that too, but he couldn't seem to help himself. He just couldn't seem to get a handle on Loki at all.

One minute he was certain they were about to explore a relationship with one another, and then the next he was sideswiped by the cold hard truth. Loki was taken or had been taken and he neglected to say as much. That was a big deal, particularly since Tony didn't want to get into a messy situation and be the reason behind a break-up. His home-wrecking days were behind him.

He was way too old to be swept up in someone else's bullshit. For Christ's sake, his life had been endless drama for years on end with Pepper. They had driven one another to the brink of insanity time and time again, and finally that he freed himself from the vicious cycle; he had somehow fallen into someone else's problems.

"The pretty ones always come with the drama, you know that!" He chided himself. "They get away with it because they are pretty! And the poor saps who love them put up with it because they are so goddamn beautiful!"

Another loud groan erupted out of him, before he lifted his head, and stared at nothing in particular. He didn't know what to think anymore. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it seemed pretty evident that Loki had slept with him while in a long-term relationship. And while he might have not been in one currently; he should have said something that way he wouldn't have gotten struck by the shrapnel later on.

Maybe he didn't have a right to that sort of information, but he sure as hell would have appreciated it. Especially since Tony didn't know where he stood with Loki at all, and if Loki had seriously wanted to pursue something more permanent with him on top of that as well. Because if this was just all fun and games then he wasn't going to sit back and pine away for Loki; not when there were beautiful women in the world with empty beds.

"You sure know how to pick them. Pretty face, hot body and you go stupid." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Never thought twice about it; not even when you knew he was a former student."

His libido had led him astray again. He should have known better; he should have been more professional about the entire situation. Loki shouldn't have been on his radar at all. No matter how beautiful and sexual he was he should have remained untouched based solely on being a former student. Sadly, that only made him more appealing in a way.

"I need a drink, maybe twenty even." He pushed away from the island, before he yanked open the fridge door; he snatched up the first amber colored bottle he saw and returned back to his previous post.

Just as he twisted off the cap from his bottle, his phone chimed merrily beside him. He let the ringtone sound several times until it became too much to listen to. He snatched up his phone and saw Rhodey's name on the screen, and knew he couldn't ignore him even if he tried. So he unlocked the screen and answered it with a grunt that was meant to be a hello.

"Bad day at the office, I take it." Rhodey replied with an amused tone.

"You have no idea. One of my students just told me his brother, the one who I've been fucking, has a boyfriend! Or he had a boyfriend and all signs point to the fact that he had this boyfriend during the time we first fucked around with each other!" He launched into his problem right away, deciding straightforwardness was the way to go in this situation.

"Wow, wow, hold your horses that's a lot of information you've just given me. Give me a minute to absorb it."

"How do you think I feel? I was blindsided by it, Rhodey! Especially when we were talking about seeing how things worked out between us. You know I kind of took it as a sign that we were going to see more of each other. Now I heard this and what am I supposed to think?"

"Take a breather for one." Rhodey said.

The thing was Tony wasn't riled up. Or he wasn't _that_ riled up; he was just disappointed. He really, truly and honestly liked Loki and he was serious about wanting to see how things played out between them. Maybe it wasn't going to work out in the long run, but he wanted to at least try.

Too many times in the past, he allowed his nerves get the best of him and he'd thrown away opportunities to make himself happy. He didn't want to make the same mistake when it came to Loki. He honestly wanted to put his front foot forward for once.

"I'm calm. I'm just trying to figure out things for myself."

"Well, that's your problem. You need to bring this up with the person you're seeing; otherwise you're going to drive yourself crazy."

"How the hell can I bring this up in casual conversation?"

"You didn't hold back on me."

"That's because we don't have sex, Rhodey."

"And I thank my lucky stars for that." Rhodey snorted. "Besides why on earth are you getting so riled up over this now? I would understand if you were sleeping with someone who was currently committed, but you're with someone who was formerly committed. He's not in a relationship now."

Tony was mid-drink when he heard what Rhodey had said. True, Loki wasn't currently attached but he didn't know what that meant exactly. For all he knew it was a temporary thing and Loki would return to his happily committed relationship and drop him like a hot potato. So he couldn't take very much joy in that information yet.

"Things aren't that black and white, you know. He could easily get back together with the boyfriend; a construction worker."

"There's nothing wrong with being a construction worker, you snob. Besides did you ever think that possibly you're the reason behind the break-up?"

"Not a snob," he shot out quickly. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Maybe, and think about it before you do something crazy, he ended his relationship because of you. Maybe he thought you were such a charmer that he wanted to pursue things with you. That is possible; I'm surprised your ego hadn't supplied this information to you earlier on."

"No,"

"Possibly,"

"Really,"

"You'll never know if you don't talk to him." Rhodey returned.

Of course, Rhodey had a point. He wouldn't get any answers by beating himself up and talking to himself like a madman. He needed to have a candid conversation with Loki and bluntly ask where things were going between them. It was the only way he'd know for certain.

"You have a point and you've made a lot of sense, Rhodey. I appreciate it." He said, before taking a deep gulp of beer. "By the way, why did you call me anyway?"

"I couldn't even tell you. You somehow manage to always dictate a conversation. I've completely forgotten why I was calling you for. I'm sure it'll come back to me later on, though. But for now I'll leave you to figure out the disaster that is your love life."

"Hey, my love life is not a disaster. It's more like an art piece; a Jackson Pollock, if you will."

"Always on your toes, Tony," Rhodey laughed as he said goodbye.

The connection went dead and Tony hung up. He gave himself a few moments to collect himself and try and figure out what his next course of action should be. Contacting Loki was clearly the thing he needed to do; however, he needed to think about what he wanted to say first. He couldn't run into things head-first without properly sorting out his thoughts, seeing as he'd only make it worse that way.

He couldn't be judgmental about the situation. He'd be an outright hypocrite if he reacted poorly over it. Because he too had been a cheater; most of his life he'd been unattached and slept with women who'd been in relationships and marriages without a thought against the contrary. So being angry about Loki's own indiscretions seemed silly.

Swiping his thumb over his phone, Tony tapped on the message icon and scrolled through the list of contacts he racked up. He overlooked Rhodey and Happy and Pepper and several work related colleagues and old college friends, before he came to Loki's name. He pulled up the history of their previous text messages and the dirty photos that he hadn't deleted yet (and probably never would).

He contemplated for several minutes until he thought he had a solid opening. Without overthinking it, he spelled out his message; reread it a few times before he sent it out. It wasn't anything accusatory or nasty; if anything it was pretty safe.

_"Are you available anytime soon? I kind of want to talk."_

Once he was certain the message went through, Tony downed the rest of his beer and was headed for another. But he only got a few steps away when he heard his phone go off. So he abandoned the last step or so to the fridge and rushed back to the island instead.

_"Going to a bar tonight with my best friend; he's feeling down. But you're welcome to come along if you want to."_

_"I guess it'll give me the chance to meet the in-laws."_ Tony responded, although he would have preferred to have a serious conversation with Loki without a third wheel around. Then again, he was technically the third wheel.

It took several minutes for Loki to respond, which gave Tony the excuse to get that second beer without any guilt. He was still a bit of a mess; his mind was in several different places all at once, and he was worried that all of this was just a ruse. Or just a bit of fun for Loki until he reunited with his construction worker boyfriend.

_"I'll send you the details once I have them. See you then."_ Loki wrote back eventually, ending his correspondence with a happy face.

Tony set his phone down and opened his second beer with a twist of his hand. Everything would be settled tonight in some capacity. He was certain Loki's friend would give them a moment or two alone in order to talk, and then he'd ease into the conversation the best way he could.

One thing he'd have to remember was _not_ to bring up the details that Baldur conveyed to him in confidence. Loki was already upset with Baldur and he didn't want to make life any worse for the kid if he could help it; especially since he was now focused on passing chemistry and improving his attendance on top of that.

As he swallowed a mouthful of beer, something suddenly struck Tony. He almost choked as the realization dawned on him. Baldur had literally run of his classroom, almost as if he'd seen a ghost. But he'd been too occupied to understand why until now. He hadn't given it any credence; hadn't thought about it for a second longer after the fact.

"Oh fuck, he knows!"


	28. Chapter Twenty-seven :: Give Yourself a Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't plan for this chapter to end out this way, but it did.

* * *

 

**Chapter Twenty-seven :: Give Yourself a Chance**

 

* * *

 

It was a Tuesday night and the bar was surprisingly filled. Loki bumped his shoulder against Bucky's as they sat right at the bar; already one drink into a night that was bound to be fun. Well, he hoped so anyway because that was the reason behind the outing in the first place.

Ever since Bucky's revelation about bedding the former secretary of state, his mood had seemed to plummet. He didn't mope around or anything, but the discussion had taken its toll. And Loki refused to sit back and let his best friend wallow in depression any longer. He was determined to lift Bucky's spirits and hopefully find someone he could take home for some much needed intimacy.

"When's your hetero boy coming?" Bucky asked around the lip of his beer bottle.

"I hope you don't address him like that when he does arrive."

"I thought this was a night out to make me feel better. Not for you can drool over your soon-to-be boyfriend. Because if I had known this was the game you were playing, I would have booked myself some more work tonight."

"This is about you." Loki retorted, although he felt a needling of guilt in the back of his mind for inviting Tony along. "We are doing exactly what you want to do. That's why we're at this ugly, little bar right now."

"Not everything's a big 'ol gay parade. We can come to a regular, average run-of-the-mill bar every once in a while. Neither of us is going to turn straight," Bucky scoffed and took a drink of his beer. "Your boyfriend, on the other hand, well he speaks for himself."

Instead of rising to the bait, Loki turned on his stool to spy the crowd. Unlike their usual haunts, this bar was pretty bland in comparison. It was the sort of bar Fandral would bring his fellow coworkers to for a round of drinks and a heated discussion about football or baseball or whatever sport that piqued his interest for the season.

College kids gathered around a pool table, while a group of obnoxiously loud middle-aged men motioned at the TV sets that were currently broadcasting the New York Giants versus the Patriots game. From their colorful language, he drew to the conclusion that Tom Brady was a fuck-face pretty boy that needed to be sacked ASAP, and if he was benched for the rest of the season good riddance.

"We could have been somewhere fun, you know."

"Because your boyfriend would want to be smack-dab in Glitter Bomb or Stefan's Gentlemen," Bucky rolled his eyes. "Even saying the names of those bars makes me feel twenty times gayer."

Despite wanting to argue, Loki knew Bucky had a point. Tony probably wouldn't be comfortable in such a different environment. He probably wouldn't have spoken up about his discomfort, but it was better to ease him into his lifestyle instead of plunging head-first into it. Or at least he could attempt to have him become a part of it.

Fandral hadn't been interested in integrating himself into the community. He didn't mind if Loki spent a night out on the town with Bucky at his favorite gay club; he just didn't want to be a part of things. He downright refused to go to any Pride events over the duration of their relationship, which led to Loki missing out on the fun the previous year. And well, he hoped Tony wouldn't have the same attitude or he knew things were doomed.

After everything was said and done between him and Fandral, Loki realized how important it was to have a partner that was accepting of his community. He wanted to be with someone who would show up to events for Pride; someone who'd openly tell anyone that they were together, as opposed to keeping it quiet. Because it had felt on several occasions that he and Fandral were in the closet, and that had never bode well with him.

"Hey," Bucky nudged him harshly. "Wake up and smell the coffee. Is that your lover boy over there?"

Loki turned his attention to the entrance of the bar, and sure enough Tony had stepped inside. He was dressed casually in jeans and sneakers and a windbreaker, but he still looked fantastic. Unable to hide his enthusiasm, he got down from his stool and abandoned Bucky at the bar. He wound his way through the crowd and found himself in front of Tony within moments.

Tony noticed him and smiled largely, although it dampened around the edges for some unknown reason. Maybe he was equally unhappy by the arrangement as Bucky was. It could possibly be nerves as well, considering this was the first time they were taking their arrangement out of the bedroom and into public.

"Hello, Tony."

"Hey," Tony crossed his arms and looked around. "I figured I'd be meeting you somewhere else. You know a little different atmosphere."

"Yes, well it's not all glitz and glamour on my end."

"I wasn't implying, I mean, I'm sorry."

"No offense taken, Tony," Loki reassured him, before tilting his head towards the bar. "Come, you need to meet my best friend."

As easily as he made it to the entrance, he had returned to his spot at the bar just as quickly. Bucky was preoccupied with tearing the label off of his beer bottle. It was only a ploy to appear uninterested, though. Loki knew all of Bucky's tells already.

"Tony, I would like to introduce you to my best friend James. But everyone calls him Bucky."

"James and Bucky don't sound very similar to me."

"He really must be a teacher, after all!" Bucky made a comical face that practically oozed of sarcasm. "When you said he was smart, I thought it was a lie."

Loki shot Bucky a glare, although his best friend was already lost in his bottle again. He had hoped that Bucky would have some couth when it involved Tony. They'd spoken lengthily about the topic and how Loki believed things would end differently than with Fandral. Or he hoped as much anyway.

He wasn't about to make the same mistakes twice. If he even suspected Tony had a similar agenda to Fandral's, he would end things immediately. He deserved better than that, and if Tony couldn't provide what he was looking for then they didn't have a future; it was as simple as that.

"Don't mind him." Loki motioned to the unoccupied stool beside him. "His nickname comes from his middle name, Buchanan."

"You mean like the president?" Tony sat and rested his arms on top of the bar. "That's a rich kid's name if I ever heard one. Did you grow up in the Hamptons or something?"

"Brooklyn,"

"So your parents were artsy kind of people?"

"I wouldn't know." Bucky downed his beer and leaned across Loki to stare at Tony. "My parents decided I wasn't fun enough to raise, so they threw me into the system. I'm kind of like Little Orphan Annie, except no hot shot rich guy adopted me, and there wasn't any singing either."

That statement was enough to cause a heavy blanket of discomfort to fall over all of them. Loki could have positively killed Bucky at the moment. This wasn't how he envisioned Tony meeting one of the most important people in his life. And he could only assume the same could be said of Tony; he probably didn't expect such a nasty person to greet him right off the bat.

Thankfully the bartender approached them, which proved to be the perfect icebreaker. Tony ordered a scotch on the rocks, while Bucky ordered another beer, and Loki decided on a vodka tonic. While their drinks were being made, Loki turned to Tony with an apologetic smile and fortunately received a smile in return.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, below the sounds of the bar.

"Down in the dumps best friend, I get it. He probably isn't thrilled I'm here."

"After a beer or two, he'll be dandy." Loki smiled, as he reached down to lightly run his fingers over his former teacher's thigh. "As for me, I'll be even friendlier than I normally am with you."

Tony's face lit up and wriggled his eyebrows at him, which caused a domino effect. Warmth pooled in Loki's chest and he was glad that he decided to give his former teacher a chance. He definitely had had his reservations about pursuing anything serious with Tony; after all, he'd only gotten out of a long-term relationship. Also the health scare had made him especially wary. But in retrospect, it seemed so stupid in comparison to how he felt currently.

It was impossible to know where they'd end up. Bucky had a valid reason to be concerned too. Tony might end up being the next Fandral. Then again he might not, and in the very least he owed it to himself to see where things were going.

"Just remember it is a school night." Tony grinned as his glass was set in front of him.

"Then we should get you into bed early, shouldn't we?"

"You do know I'm still here, don't you?" Bucky interjected. "Never mind, don't mind me. I'll finish off this beer and you two can have that date you've planned from the get-go."

"Bucky," Loki turned to look over his shoulder at his best friend, and felt another wave of guilt strike him.

The night had been specifically planned to distract Bucky from the residual feelings he had for Alexander Pierce. Loki had never seen him that despondent before, not even when he broke things off with long-time boyfriend; which only meant that he had been in love with the former secretary of state. And somehow he hadn't ever noticed it.

Now that he reflected on the past, there had been telltale signs of unhappiness on Bucky's part. Of course, he thought there was a logical explanation for it and assumed Bucky had been worn down from his apprenticeship in the city. He never figured it had been anything revolving a torrid love affair. Because he had always assumed that Bucky would share that sort of information with him no matter what.

Bucky tipped his head back and drank his beer with several big gulps. He finished it within a twenty second time frame, and set the bottle down with a loud crack. Thankfully, the bar seemed equipped for such brutal treatment and the action didn't leave a scratch or a dent.

"Have fun," Bucky said, while he climbed down from his stool.

"At least let me drive you."

"Don't act so concerned; I'll find my own way home."

"What do you mean by act? I am concerned."

"You're concerned about you, Loki. I mean this is how our friendship works, right?" Bucky rolled his eyes, before directing his attention to Tony. "And I thought I'd be reading you the riot act tonight. But you know what, you two are adults. You can figure out your own fucked up relationship on your own."

Loki felt hot all over, as if he was being swallowed alive by embarrassment. But there was also something else to it as well; he recognized how utterly selfish he'd been of late. Bucky had dropped everything to pick him up in an unfamiliar neighborhood after he spent his first night with Tony. He had listened to his deepest and darkest fears for weeks on end. He had even taken him to get tested for every STD known to man, and he'd even let him live in his apartment without any complaint at all.

Now when Bucky needed him most, he had selfishly asked Tony to tag along. At that moment, he realized how unbalanced their friendship was and how much of a self-centered jerk he was being by putting his own ambitions ahead of Bucky's unhappiness.

"I figure we won't have a problem with sleeping arrangements tonight. You'll be staying over with your hetero boyfriend, I'm sure." Bucky popped the collar of his leather jacket, and slapped a twenty dollar bill onto the bar beside the empty bottles he'd been drinking from only minutes ago. "Nice meeting you, teach. Grooming your students for ass play later; nice,"

Bucky headed towards the front of the bar after that. Loki watched him go and curled his hands into fists. How could he have been so utterly blind? Bucky had done so much for him, and he had taken it all for granted. He couldn't even quiet his libido for one night and it made him sick.

"That could have gone better, I admit." Tony said lightly.

"No kidding,"

"Bad moods don't last forever. I'm sure he'll back to his normal self, whatever that is, soon enough."

"My best friend needed me and I couldn't help but be a selfish son of a bitch."

"Hey, it happens to the best of us. Just apologize in the morning, easy-peasy."

"You obviously don't know Bucky."

"Hard to gauge a guy's personality when he wasn't in a very talkative mood,"

"What am I even doing here?" Loki pushed his stool out, before getting to his feet. "I need to go after him."

"Hold on, we need to talk." Tony protested.

"It can wait." He retorted and headed to the front of the bar in pursuit of Bucky.

Whatever Tony wanted to talk about could wait. He had to track down Bucky before he got into any trouble, and apologize until he was blue in the face for being so insensitive. God, how on earth could he be that stupid and self-centered?

Walking out in the brisk evening air, Loki looked up and down the street for his best friend. He saw him almost immediately a stone's throw away and he wasn't alone. Bucky was standing on the edge of the sidewalk, conversing to a man on a motorcycle. The conversation seemed to be amusing enough because Bucky and the stranger shared a laugh.

Loki watched the two of them interact, and swore he had seen the man on the motorcycle before. He had that rugged, dark, and dangerous look to him that was Bucky's type. To be honest, Loki was surprised Bucky wasn't downright swooning at the moment.

Several minutes passed, before Bucky stepped away from the curb and waved at the man; who had started to rev his engine and called out to him over the noise. Whatever was said made Bucky laugh and bow his head as the guy pulled away and into the sparsely filled street. And that smile persisted still once Bucky spun around and headed into Loki's direction; well, until he saw him anyway.

"Shouldn't you be with your teacher?" Bucky scowled darkly.

"Not when I should be here for you. James, I was an idiot; a selfish, self-absorbed idiot."

"Damn right, you are."

"You've helped me without fail for years, especially over the past few weeks. I owe you so much and I show my appreciation for you by inviting along Tony. I don't know what I was thinking." Loki followed Bucky down the street and hoped he could reason with him. "You're right to be upset with me; I was only thinking of myself tonight."

"I've done a lot for you, you know." Bucky turned around with a pinched expression on his face. "The least you could do was _not_ invite your man of the minute around, especially when I feel awful. Especially when I can't stop thinking about some guy who viewed me as his personal sex toy, and I told you all of that in confidence on top of that too."

"I'm sorry."

"I love you, Loki. But your love life shouldn't come before everything else. Maybe you should stop focusing on the sex and lust, and give yourself two seconds to breathe."

"So you don't think I should give Tony a chance?"

"I think you should give _you_ a chance. Not some hetero guy that's going to break your heart. Because when everything's said and done, he's not going to be there to pick up the pieces, I am." Bucky started back up the street with his shoulders hunched forward, practically screaming to be left alone.

Dumbly, Loki watched Bucky walk away from him. His best friend's words echoed in his head for a very long time after that. Because maybe he should give himself a chance; maybe getting involved too quickly with Tony was a bad idea. He certainly had a lot to think about.


	29. Chapter Twenty-eight :: Gossip At Its Finest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting the rest of the story in one large chunk (or at least throughout the rest of the day). I've worked on it on and off since my previous update and I've done what I thought was best for the story.

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**Chapter Twenty-eight :: Gossip At Its Finest**

 

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Twelve hours on your feet nonstop was pretty ludicrous. Sif hung up her coat in the closet, before she tossed her purse carelessly onto the side table next to the door. She had four blissful days off, time enough still to balance the checkbooks, pay the monthly bills, and grocery shop to fill the cupboards and refrigerator for the week. Because she knew all too well, Thor would devour mostly everything within that time frame.

Wandering like a zombie into the hub of the smartly decorated condo, she found Thor at the kitchen table with a bowl of half-eaten strawberries, cantaloupe, and grapes at his elbow while he sifted in between paperwork and whatever he was studying on his tablet. He'd only returned from Chicago yesterday afternoon and was in the midst of compiling his in-depth coverage on the football game he'd been sent to report on.

"Busy as always, I see." She joked as she collapsed into the chair across from him.

"You know me; someone has to work around here." He grinned in return. "You look exhausted."

"I certainly feel it."

"Let me make you something to eat."

"No, don't bother. I'll probably be going to bed soon." Sif waved her hand dismissively at her fiancée. "Besides I have an interesting story to tell you. This afternoon a guy came into the ER for stitches; knocked his head pretty badly on a two by four. He was the foreman on a job site and we got to talking while I sewed him up."

Thor, who had rose to his feet to whip up something for her to eat, slowly sank back into his seat. Despite neither of them considering themselves gossips, the truth of the matter was that they were. Wild and unbelievable things happened quite frequently enough in the ER and Sif couldn't help but share them with her fiancée. In fact, it was one of her favorite things after a long shift; well, if Thor happened to be home at the time.

Today had been long and monotonous, that is until that construction worker had come in spurting blood from the forehead like a fountain. The injury hardly fazed Sif; she had seen some gruesome things as a registered nurse, and head wounds were notorious for bleeding excessively even if they weren't serious. But the conversation had been intriguing; not about how he sustained the knock to the head, though. There was another story there altogether.

"Color me interested." Thor raised an eyebrow, before nudging his half-eaten fruit salad her way.

"Well, his name was Harold; he was working on some strip mall about two miles from the hospital." She begun and took up the fork offered to her; she speared a grape and popped it into her mouth. "He was telling me how one of his guys has been a pain in the ass of late. Coming to work late, moping around the job site, you know being a right pain in the ass."

"Sounds like a winner,"

"I know, right?"

"Is that why he ran into a two by four?"

"Partially," she ate several more pieces of fruit, in order to soothe her suddenly growling stomach. The last time she'd eaten had been hours ago; although she was mostly running on coffee which sloshed unhappily inside of her and would probably come back to bite her in the ass later.

Being aware of all the health problems related to processed food, Sif had made it a point to clean up her eating and that went hand-in-hand with doing the same for Thor. Thor was in excellent shape physically; he was always a fixture in the gym and his physique attested to that. Sadly, that didn't mean he didn't fall into the traps of cookies and potato chips and all kinds of fast food. Especially due to the fact that Thor traveled so frequently for work that made it imperative for Sif to stock up the cupboards with healthy choices when he was home.

Thor wasn't always pleased by her insistence on healthy eating. She knew he snuck snacks and probably went to his parents' house for that exact reason. But she never pestered him, not when he was at least making an effort to eat better on her watch.

"Anyway, so, this guy has been a huge pain in the ass and it's because he ended a relationship. As he put it – it was a long-term thing that exploded in his face recently. Seeing as he was a model employee until everything went to hell,"

"Where is this story going, Sif? I feel like there's a big _a-ha_ moment coming up."

"As there should be, my dear future husband,"

"Then spill the beans, before you fall asleep in that old fruit." Thor rested his elbow on the table and leaned his chin against his fist; the picture of a rapt listener.

That was one of the many things she loved about Thor. He really was a great listener, even if he could sometimes grow impatient by her need to embellish details and drag out the story for the suspense factor.

"Okay, well this employee happens to be named Fan. Or his full name happens to be Fandral." She announced in a sing-song voice and stabbed a strawberry.

The look on her fiancée's face was worth dragging out the story. As to be expected, Thor looked genuinely surprised and maybe closer to stunned. Weeks ago they had been witnesses to Loki's meltdown that had been caused by Baldur. No one really knew what to do after everything had been said and done, particularly when Odin went off the handle and dragged Baldur upstairs for the lecture of a century.

While she and Thor had already known about the break-up, the fallout had been pretty incredible and beyond awkward. Loki hadn't answered any of Thor's calls and evaded any attempts for a face-to-face meet up. And with Thor's job, it had become even more difficult to touch base with Loki. That didn't mean it wouldn't happen very soon, though. Well, if Thor had his way anyway.

"So you're telling me Fandral's taking the break-up badly?"

"Pretty badly, I say. Plus his foreman handed out some details about things too. I mean it's highly inappropriate to discuss your brother's love life like this, but when has that ever really dissuaded us before?"

"This could be _so_ bad if Loki found out; colossally bad."

"It's not our fault, though. Some random guy came into the ER and started to shoot off his mouth. Besides you don't need to tell Loki we know the details of his break-up with Fandral."

"You're right; you're one-hundred percent right. But damn, it feels like a violation."

"Fandral can't keep his mouth shut." She said simply, despite knowing how badly it was to discuss her future brother-in-law's love life.

Loki was usually quite secretive about his life. He only told Thor the things he wanted him to know. The ugly truth never really saw the daylight; at least Loki was smart enough to keep it out of the hands of his family. Fandral, however, wasn't exactly smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Because clearly he never expected the truth to come back to haunt him; not in the way it was about to anyway.

For several moments, Thor seemed torn between curiosity and decency. Of course, they had spoken between one another about what could have possibly gone on between Loki and Fandral several times. Thor was naturally protective of his younger brothers, Loki especially. So they had discussed it and Thor had been certain Fandral was the cause of the break-up somehow.

Sif waited patiently for Thor to battle his inner turmoil, and finished up the last bits of fruit in several bites. Her stomach didn't feel as empty and upset anymore; she didn't think she could eat anything else, unfortunately. Not without it battling for dominance with the coffee that continued to slosh sickeningly in the pit of her stomach.

"Okay, but this stays between you and me. Neither of us will say a word to Loki or even my mother. It's like we've never heard any of this." Thor finally said.

"Because running to either Loki or Frigga would be a brilliant idea,"

"I'm covering my tracks, sweetheart."

"Whatever," she pushed the bowl away and rubbed at her left eye that suddenly felt heavy. "Anyway this Harold guy, he insisted I call him Happy by the way, he said Fandral spilled his guts to him a few nights ago at a bar. He told him that he and Loki were in an open relationship, and well the only time Loki ever stepped out on him had been a total disaster. He said Fandral went on about how the guy almost attacked Loki, so that had been the end of that.

"Fandral, on the other hand, was sleeping around with girls. He and Loki would actually go out to bars and clubs to pick a woman that they thought was clean enough or something. And evidently, they had all these elaborate rules about calling one another and not spending the night with their one-nightstand, and using protection."

"What?"

"Let me finish before you blow a gasket." Sif suppressed a yawn. "Well, it was all business as usual one night a few weeks ago. But Loki found someone at a club to go home with, and he broke every major rule in the book. He didn't call, he spent the night, and he didn't use protection which totally freaked him out. And that's not all; he supposedly gave his phone number out to the guy too."

"What?" Thor repeated in disbelief.

"But here is the kicker, the cherry on top if you will – this guy that Loki slept with was his ex-science teacher in high school."

"Ex-science teacher in high school," Thor said, as if that would sink in a little quicker that way.

Close to a minute ticked by before something akin to recognition flashed across her fiancée's face. Stunned horror washed over his face, before he turned his gaze onto her almost accusingly. She didn't hold it against him, though. She knew Thor would be shocked by the news, even if she didn't know the man in question. She knew Thor would, though.

After all, Thor and Loki attended the same high school and at the same time. Thor was bound to have had the same teachers as Loki and vice-versa. So the possibility that he had the same science teacher wasn't that farfetched by any stretch of the imagination.

"Mr. Stark," he managed to choke out, before he leapt to his feet abruptly. "He has to be Mr. Stark! Loki was crazy about him in high school!"

"Pretty scandalous, don't you think?"

"More than scandalous; it's completely wrong!"

"Well, if they were student and teacher still it would be. But now they're both adults." She returned quickly.

The news had been outrageous to say the least, but it was hardly illegal. Loki was in his twenties; he was an adult and capable of making his own decisions. Unfortunately, even with all that information Thor was of a different mindset altogether. He always saw Loki as his younger brother, regardless of his very apparent adulthood.

"You heard what Loki was tutoring Baldur in! He was tutoring him in chemistry! He went to a parent-teacher conference and it was obviously with Stark!"

"Oh boy,"

"I'll kill that sick fuck!"

"Calm down," Sif stood and held up her hand. "Now don't do anything rash! Your brother's an adult and he has the right to sleep with anyone he wants to! He isn't a kid, so there's nothing wrong with this arrangement!"

"But-"

"No buts! If you have to talk to someone then you have to talk to Loki."

"Like that would go over well!"

"And threatening your former science teacher will?"

"Damn," Thor said in visible frustration. "You're right; you're always right, though. Even if I hate every moment of it."

Thor's sudden anger deflated almost immediately. He knew he was being irrational. Then again, he had a knack for irrationality when it came to his family. He was an emotional person, which people wouldn't expect at first glance. Sif certainly hadn't expected it herself when they met in college.

Finding a man with such a big heart was a rarity nowadays (maybe even ever). Sif loved that personality trait, but she also saw why it could be bad too. Thor had just been worked up enough to try and kill someone he thought was violating his brother, even though it was anything but that. It was a consensual love affair and Thor knew as much too.

"Finish up your work and come to bed. Tomorrow we'll talk about it more, but don't do anything you'll regret in the morning." Sif sighed tiredly. "Don't make me regret telling you all of this, Thor."

With a weary look, she turned away and headed for the stairway. As she mounted the first step, she heard the telltale signs of Thor tidying up his work area for the night. She knew then that he would push everything he heard to the backburner and come to bed to spend time with her; which was what she wanted, after all. Even if it entailed only sleeping side by side; that was a luxury they didn't have very often.


	30. Chapter Twenty-nine :: A Living Nightmare

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**Chapter Twenty-nine :: A Living Nightmare**

 

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School was nightmare; his home life was a nightmare too. Baldur sat bone-tired at the kitchen table; his brain was so filled with formulas and definitions and operations that he felt like he was about to burst. His tutor had only just left after three tireless hours that guaranteed a passing grade on tomorrow's chemistry test.

He knew the material backwards and forward; he studied until his eyes became unfocused and the text turned into blurry blobs. His tutor had been oddly proud and congratulated him on a job well done, and even said she had faith in him when it came to passing the test with flying color. Little did she know that he might not pass due to a tidbit of information he'd only just learned of late.

Yesterday he had found out that Mr. Stark was somehow involved with Loki. All the signs were there; big, glaring ones that anyone could see from space. The reason it had taken longer for Baldur to see it was because, naturally, he didn't want to see it. He didn't even want to think about Loki's romantic entanglements if he could help it.

As protective as he was when it came to Loki, the details of his personal life weren't something he actively sought out. He had been drawn into them by chance. He had seen Fandral with some woman by chance; he had learned of his current torrid affair without asking any questions. And he sorely wished he didn't know any of it.

Being in the same classroom as Mr. Stark proved to be awkward and uncomfortable now; Baldur had spent that afternoon staring blindly at his textbook, never once looking towards the front of the classroom. He avoided eye contact at all costs; he made himself seem small and insignificant as humanly possible. And when the bell rang to dismiss the class, he had bowled everyone in his path to get out into the hallway and out of the school as quick as he could manage.

It couldn't last forever, though. He couldn't avoid his chemistry teacher for the rest of the year, and quite frankly he couldn't even ask for a transfer without raising questions. His parents wouldn't even entertain the idea, unless they had a full explanation on why switching teachers was an appropriate move.

He couldn't tell anyone about what he discovered. He didn't have any solid proof; all he had to go on was a gut feeling and some small, almost insignificant details. It was hardly enough proof to connect Loki and Mr. Stark in some kind sexual relationship.

"Your tutor had some very good things to say about you today." His mother appeared in the doorway with a smile, which put Baldur on edge.

Of all the people he felt like he could confide in, it would have been his mother. She was far more understanding than his father, and she wouldn't make fun of him like Thor or Loki. But he knew that she probably wouldn't believe him if he tried to convey what he knew to her either.

"I guess that's good." He said slowly, despite his mind working a mile per minute.

"It's more than good, my love." His mother swept into the kitchen and headed for the refrigerator where she stored an uncooked casserole inside. "At this rate, you might pass completely without the help of summer school; which is an accomplishment within itself. So long as you keep yourself motivated then you won't have any problems at all."

Baldur slumped in his chair and shut his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on, and he wished he could sleep in the next day. But that wasn't going to happen; not on a test day and especially on a chemistry test day.

He would have to endure another uncomfortable hour with Mr. Stark, while also trying to concentrate on an exam. Somehow he was going to have to juggle a vault full of chemistry related information, and the stomach churning truth about one his older brothers on top of that. It would be a miracle if he didn't crack and have a mental breakdown right in the middle of class.

"I know you've been tired, Baldur. I just hope you realize that we hired the best tutor in the city so you could learn chemistry. It'll be worth it in the end, I promise you."

"And the lessons on humility will make me a better person." He recited.

"That's all your father and I want for you. We want you to give yourself a chance and be a good person. Certainly, you'd want the same if you were a parent."

"I'm never having kids."

"You say that today, but tomorrow might be different." She replied and he could hear the smile in her tone. "Things change every day. For example, you might even become a chemist when you get older. The possibilities are endless."

It took a great amount of willpower to keep his mouth closed. The only one who seemed to have inherited his mother's optimism was Thor; whereas he and Loki were pessimists like their father. It hadn't always been that way, though. Not in Baldur's case anyway. Loki had always been completely realistic about anything and everything. Baldur's pessimism had developed over the years; more specifically over the last few years.

Puberty was a bitch.

"This coming weekend, I'll be inviting Loki over for dinner. I assume you've learned your lesson now and will not provoke him about his personal life."

"Yes, I've learned my lesson and I'll apologize when I see him."

"Good, I'm glad. I don't want the two of you to be on bad terms over this." His mother said, while she busied herself with the dinner preparations.

The clinks and clanks and bangs only brought Baldur's headache on quicker. He bit back a groan and massaged his temples; while he reviewed the information he had crammed in there over the past three hours. Unfortunately, no matter how many times he repeated the information; he was still sideswiped by the gruesome knowledge of Loki's personal life.

Mr. Stark hadn't seemed to notice any change in his behavior today. In fact, the man seemed as jovial and over-excitable about chemistry as he always was. He could only imagine that he'd been flailing his limbs around in enthusiasm and jotting on the whiteboard with sudden bursts of energy. All the while completely oblivious to the fact that Baldur knew he was fucking his brother.

That thought was enough to make him jerk in his seat. He opened his eyes and noticed his mother within eyesight with a concerned look on her face. Panic threatened to crawl its way up his throat, but he tried to push it down into the pit of his stomach. She couldn't find out about this; god only knew what her reaction would be. And if she told his father then that would only cause further complications.

"Are you all right, my love?" She asked as she closed the oven door gently.

"I'm okay; I just have a headache."

"Now, Baldur what have I told you about lying to me?"

"I seriously have a headache." He protested and jabbed a finger right above his left eye. "It's right here; it's pounding like a heartbeat."

Without another word, he watched as his mother retreated to the cupboard over the sink and pulled out a small bottle of aspirin. She shook out two tablets into her palm, before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and presenting him with her offering. Baldur took the pills and tossed them back into his mouth and uncapped his water and took a long drink from the bottle.

Once he finished swallowing, his mother sat beside him at the table. Her concerned look hadn't fleeted away; if anything it seemed to have expanded. One thing there was to know about Frigga Odinson was that she pretty good at sensing a lie. She was even better at extracting information from people, especially her beloved children. Honestly, she would have been a stellar police detective if she wanted to be.

"What else is bothering you? And it's pointless to lie to me; you know that, don't you?"

"Mom, come on."

"If you think you'll be leaving this kitchen table without answering me, you are horribly wrong."

"I'm worried about the test, okay. I think I might choke." Baldur lowered his eyes and stared at his endless notes in his precise handwriting. At least he had nice penmanship unlike his perfect brothers.

His mother didn't say anything for several moments, probably in hopes of dissecting him piece by piece in order to get the truth out of him that way. But he tried his best to stonewall her and keep any obvious emotion off of his face. She wouldn't like what he had to say, obviously.

"Yes, you would be worried about the exam; you've worked very hard, after all." She agreed. "But I am your mother, my love. I know you better than you know yourself; well, most of the time anyway. That is beside the point, however. Because I know you are hiding something and if I have to interrogate you for hours on end then that's what I'll do."

"Mom,"

"Don't mom me; I can do this all night if need be."

"Stop," he waved his hands dismissively. "You're opening up a can of worms that you don't want to! I mean it; I mean it times a million!"

Resistance was futile; he knew that all too well. There was only so long he could hold out without spilling his guts, and it was preferable to do so without his father around. Now that would be even more awkward than telling his mother about his suspicious; although they really weren't suspicions. He knew Loki and Mr. Stark were fucking around.

Smoothly, his mother reached out and grasped one of his hands; a motherly tactic meant to be kind but also assert her dominance. She smiled at him in that reassuring way of hers; that devious sweet way of hers that was one of her deadliest weapons.

"My love, please let's not play around."

"Mom, cut it out. Seriously, stop."

"You know you want to tell me; I can help."

"I want to be transferred into a different chemistry class." He blurted out. "I don't feel comfortable staying in Mr. Stark's class anymore, okay."

His declaration seemed to have surprised his mother. She leaned back in her chair, but still kept a firm grip on his hand; maybe she was worried he'd get away without a detailed explanation which was a reasonable concern. He would have run away and tried to collect himself, before he took those words back and blamed it on his recent bout with stress. He wasn't given that opportunity, though.

"Now Baldur you're being unreasonable. I know you might harbor some resentment towards your teacher, but he wasn't the one who put you into this situation. You were the one who put yourself into this situation."

"I know that; you're right. I'm being unreasonable."

"I like that response less than you being argumentative. Now tell me what is going on. Or I will be forced to get your father involved. And you know he doesn't have a gentle touch like I do." His mother threatened or maybe it was more of a promise. No, it was definitely a promise.

Baldur was torn; he didn't want to tell her what he knew, but he honestly didn't have any other choice. She wasn't going to let him go, and she wasn't going to believe any lie he conjured up. He was in between a rock and a hard place. There wasn't anything he could do but tell her the truth, no matter how painful it would be.

Swallowing hard, he stared at his mother and saw the unwavering determination in her eyes. He knew he was going to spill everything out; he couldn't do anything but that. His mother had systematically worked him into a corner and the only way to save himself was to tell the truth. Both of them knew that and both of them knew he'd do what she wanted him to.

"Loki and Mr. Stark are having sex!" He almost shouted, before slapping a hand over his mouth in horror.

"Pardon me? What did you say?"

"Mom-"

"Loki is having sex with your chemistry teacher? How do you know that?"

"They were flirting during the parent-teacher conference; almost inappropriately so. And then I blurted out how Loki was mad at me to Mr. Stark because of Fandral, and he seemed pretty upset about it. I just knew, you know. I know it, Mom." He said lamely and almost immediately regretted it.

Close to a minute passed by before his mother reacted. She squeezed Baldur's hand and released it; she stood from the table and walked out of the room, but returned moments later with her cellphone in hand. Calmly, she walked to the oven and toyed with the dial; before she tapped onto the screen of her phone and pressed it to her ear.

Baldur watched his mother wearily. He already knew who she was calling, yet that didn't make it any more comfortable for him. He didn't know what the fall out would be. The only thing he knew for certain was that it was going to be awful.

"Hello, Loki," his mother said in a no-nonsense tone. "We need to talk."

He was definitely going to fail chemistry. There was no doubt about it now.


	31. Chapter Thirty :: Fight For Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended on uploading more of this story already. Unfortunately, I got busy and I'm only now sitting down at my computer.

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**Chapter Thirty :: Fight For Me**

 

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Pepper Potts was self-sufficient and an independent woman. She worked hard in her professional life and her career growth reflected that as much. Everything she had ever set her mind to she managed to succeed at. Well, almost everything anyway. Her personal life wasn't exactly picturesque and probably never would be.

There wasn't a white picket fence in her future; there weren't the two point five children and the collie that looked identical to Lassie. And there definitely wasn't prince charming either. What she had was something so much more convoluted and complicated than that. She had Tony Stark.

Technically speaking, she currently did not have her on-again off-again boyfriend in her life. They had broken up once more; they had fought and well, she knew it was only a matter of time before the tide turned in their favor again. It always did in the end; it happened like clockwork because they couldn't get enough of one another despite the dysfunction of their partnership.

They had spent more time than Pepper could count with each other. Years had flown by in the blink of an eye, and the drama-fueled relationship somehow weathered the storm after every nasty argument, after their combined infidelity, and their sometimes general dislike of one another. Maybe it was because it was familiar and safe. Or maybe it was because they just made sense.

Everyone in Pepper's life certainly had an opinion about her relationship with Tony. People thought they were a powder keg ready to explode; not just in nasty little spurts either. They thought they might kill one another or something equally as ludicrous. They thought they'd be the next big story on cable news circuit, which couldn't be any farther from the truth.

While their relationship was far from healthy, they hadn't been violent towards one another. Sure their words had been razor-edged and angry but Tony never raised a hand to her. She hadn't even slapped him before. They worked out their frustrations through loud arguments and mean-spirited insults. There was nothing violent about them; they were hostile but it was always projected in words not actions.

One of the greatest points of contention between the two of them was the prospect of marriage. They had been together long enough that marriage seemed like the step in the right direction. She wanted that more than anything; she had dropped as many hints as she could, yet Tony ignored them all.

Tony wasn't the marrying type. Or so he claimed until he was blue in the face. Pepper believed they could settle down with one another eventually. It would take some effort on both their parts and one-hundred percent dedication; but they could do it. They could be happy if they tried.

That was at the forefront of her mind as she slipped out of her shiny new sports car, and headed up the pathway to Tony's front door. It had been weeks since she'd last been there; she had had a lot of thinking to do and she knew Tony did as well. And it was way past time for them to have a serious sit-down about their future.

Confidently, she knocked on the door and waited patiently for entrance. Sometimes it took Tony a few minutes to come to the door due to how big the house really was. She had chosen not to bring along her key because that might boil his temper unnecessarily. So it was better to play by Tony's rules on his turf if she wanted to accomplish anything.

About a minute passed, before the door was pulled open to reveal Tony. He had a pencil behind his ear and a pen in one hand; it was obvious that he'd been in the middle of grading papers. She smiled as warmly as she could at him, although he didn't return the gesture. Instead, he raised his eyebrow and stared at her like an alien life form.

"Pepper, what are you doing here?" He asked warily.

"I wanted to apologize. The last time we saw one another was unpleasant."

"More like DEFCON one,"

"You're right, you're absolutely correct." She agreed. "May I come in all the same, though?"

Tony hesitated for a few moments, but slid open the door anyway. She thanked him and stepped into the house that looked as unlived in as ever. It was too much house for a single person to reside in. Tony would have been better suited for a townhouse in the city, instead of living in a family oriented area in the suburbs.

For whatever reason, he had wanted to live in a massive house despite how unreasonable it was. He didn't care about the costs that went hand-in-hand with the property. Nor would he listen to reason whenever Pepper tried to convince him to move closer to the city.

Without having to think about it, she and Tony moved side-by-side into the living room. There was a football game on the flat screen TV and strewn across the coffee table were piles of paperwork. Several beer bottles had found their place on the floor beside the couch, but thankfully none had been knocked over by accident. It was a good thing Tony's home didn't have any carpeting.

"Want something to drink?" Tony asked as he tossed his pen onto the coffee table.

"No, I'm fine. I really would like to talk. And I mean really talk. No arguments, no insults,"

"Okay, let's talk then." He motioned for her to take a seat wherever she preferred, before dropping unceremoniously onto his designated seat.

She sat on the other end of the couch, while trying to remember the speech she had planned over the course of their time apart. During their last break-up, things had ultimately come to a head. Pepper understood how irrational she had been, and Tony hadn't deserved to be skewered as he had been. But he definitely hadn't been right either. They both had had made mistakes.

"I should apologize again. I was being irrational; I was hurt that you wouldn't come with me to my cousin's wedding. We've been together for years and you couldn't swallow your pride and do that for me. But I also heard what you had to say once I settled down. You were busy and maybe I should have been far more understanding than I had been."

"I'm not going to argue with you about why I didn't go. I already told you. It wasn't some kind of passive aggressive slap in the face, Pepper. I was dead-tired and a wedding with people that hate me didn't sound like a fun weekend."

"Tony, I missed you. I know our relationship isn't perfect; sometimes it's downright toxic. But you are the only man in the world I want to be with. I want to work on our relationship; I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work. I'm committed completely to this." She said honestly and turned her eyes onto him, although his expression was closed off.

It happened rarely, but there were times when Tony disconnected completely from her. He used it as a defense mechanism. When things became too much for him to handle, he closed himself off. She had witnessed it in the past, and well she wasn't exactly surprised by it now.

Things hadn't been good this year between them. Tony had become disillusioned with teaching and had wanted a way out. He had been restless and fidgety, which might have explained why he cheated again in the first place with that Russian bartender. And that led to Pepper's own infidelity with Aldrich Killian once more out of revenge.

"You know I've been casually seeing someone else." He admitted, as he plucked the pencil from behind his ear. "I was pretty head over heels in lust with them too. I mean we had some pretty mind-blowing sex; the kind that you read in Penthouse Forum. Or, you know, the kind we used to have when we initially got together."

"Oh,"

"Pepper, I was having sex with a former student of mine. Not only that, it was a male student; one of my favorite students from years ago."

"Wait, what?" She asked in bewilderment.

Had she heard him correctly? Had he confessed to sleeping with a former male student? Or were ears deceiving her all of the sudden?

"I've slept with a former male student of mine." Tony repeated. "I didn't plan for it to happen, somehow it just did. And I don't know what to do or even what to think for that matter. All of this seems so crazy."

That was a lot of information for Pepper to absorb. She hadn't been aware of Tony's interest in the same sex; he hadn't shown any predilection for it before. Or maybe she had been blissfully ignorant to any signs of it. That certainly could have been the case. Then again why would she have had actively looked for signs of Tony's bisexuality?

Considering how frequently they discussed sexual fantasies, why hadn't he spoken up? Was he ashamed by his sexuality? Did he think she would find the idea vile and disgusting? Because to be perfectly frank, she actually didn't know what to feel about it at all; she didn't know how she was supposed to feel.

They sat in silence for several minutes. The football game blared mindlessly in the background, but Pepper didn't really hear it. She was still trying to come to terms with the confession she had just heard. She even tried to go back throughout their relationship, and unearth some kind of clue that Tony had any interest in men. But she came up with absolutely nothing solid.

"You're disgusted with me, aren't you?" Tony finally spoke again. "I had a few trysts with guys in college, but they weren't worth mentioning. I kind of brushed them off as unimportant. Overall, I'm still more attracted to women, you know. So I figured I was heterosexual."

"I'm not disgusted by you. I'm disgusted by your need to cheat on me. And I'm disgusted with myself for the same offense. But what I'm trying to…it's a shock, Tony."

"Which part, exactly?"

"The whole thing, of course," she looked at him. "I didn't know you were bisexual; that's a surprise. Honestly, you could have told me. I wouldn't have thought any differently about you. You know I'm not prejudice towards anyone. At least, I hope you know that."

Tony wouldn't meet her eye, as if he was too ashamed to. Quite frankly, he hadn't any reason to; while it was a surprise that didn't mean her feelings towards him had changed any. If anything, he should have been ashamed the first time he cheated on her with some busty brunette at Happy's birthday party. But for revealing his bisexuality, he didn't need to feel the way that he did.

"I'm worried for you, though. You do understand the ramifications of getting involved with a former student, right?"

"Nothing legal, obviously; he's almost thirty."

"I didn't say anything about the legal ramifications. But if someone finds out about this, you will face some sort of disciplinary action. Parents are bound to squawk until they see results. You know that better than I do."

"Christ, you don't think I've thought about it?" He asked brusquely and met her gaze. "I've thought about it a lot, especially since he's my current student's older brother. And it's pretty clear he knows about our _thing_. He won't even look me in the eye anymore when he's in my class."

Pepper tried not to flinch. She had always known Tony was compulsive and passionate, which frequently led to recklessness. So it wasn't that surprising that he couldn't keep this tryst completely a secret. And it probably would turn widespread soon enough; teenagers couldn't keep secrets to save their lives, after all. Tony's reputation as a teacher might very well be in jeopardy.

The likelihood he would be fired was slim, but people would be wary of him. He had always prided himself on being a good teacher and doing something to help the community as a whole. It hadn't been about money, since he came from a wealthy family and was given the opportunity to join the family business hundreds of times. But Tony had always wanted to make something without his father's intervention, and if he failed at this; Pepper knew he'd never forgive himself for it. Whether he liked the job or not was irrelevant.

"You know what you have to do, Tony."

"You're thinking about Howard, aren't you?"

"If you father found out, you know what'll happen."

"He'll gloat about my failure and tell me to come back home. I'll finally have to be the heir to the family company. Since dear 'ol dad isn't as young as he used to be, and it's about damn time I pick up my responsibilities."

They both fell quiet again. Pepper's hope of reconciling had officially gone out the window. No matter what anyone thought about her, Tony's welfare was one of her top priorities. She loved him and that meant she cared more about what would happen to him, as opposed to what happened to her. That's how she knew it was love.

Tony reached to the floor for one of the bottles. After a bit of trial and error, he found one that was half-full and took a drink from it. He smiled bitterly at her, before he downed the rest of his beer and set the bottle down again.

"Maybe this would be worth it if things were different." He said. "But I think he might have feelings for someone else."

"Tony,"

"I know, Pepper. I know."

"Talk to Rhodey and Happy," she stood and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You already know what to do, though. Don't potentially jeopardize your teaching career over this. Unless if you are certain that this is who you want to be with, but I think you don't know for sure."

"And here I thought you were here to fight for me."

"Not if you don't want me." Pepper forced herself to smile, although she couldn't deny how unhappy she was with how things turned out. "Besides, you'll realize how good you had it with me and you'll be crawling back in no time flat."

"I wouldn't put it past me."

"Neither would I," she leaned down and pressed a kiss to Tony's cheek. "I'll see myself out."

With a goodbye, Pepper walked towards the front door. She hoped Tony would have the foresight to nip the problem in the bud. But knowing him, he would put himself into a questionable situation many times over before he did the right thing.

The right thing for both of them was to try and fix their relationship. They needed couple's counseling and to devote themselves fully to each other. Unfortunately, life had a funny way of intervening and making things harder than they needed to be. She only wished this former student was in love with someone else. That was her only hope.


	32. Chapter Thirty-one :: A Dawning Realization

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**Chapter Thirty-one :: A Dawning Realization**

 

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Instant macaroni and cheese was what was for dinner. Bucky scooped up a mouthful as his eyes remained on the TV screen. There was a Yankee game on and he'd been rooted to the spot since the first inning. He hadn't any plans on leaving the couch any time soon either.

It didn't happen very often that he'd get two nights off in a row, so he intended on making the best of it. Tonight was about him and what he wanted to. Everyone else could take a hike. He wanted to be left alone and enjoy the baseball game without any interruptions, and so far so good.

Steve had graveyard duty at the police station. He wouldn't be back until thirty-three or four, unless he didn't decide to stay with his girlfriend instead. As for Loki, he had holed himself up in his bedroom and hadn't come out for hours now; which could easily be explained by the fact that they weren't exactly on speaking terms currently.

After the previous evening, they hadn't really spoken much. At least Loki had attempted to apologize, but it hadn't gone as he hoped. Bucky had been far more upset by the situation than he had even realized. Loki had asked him out to lift his spirits, but somehow their boys night out shifted into a date between Loki and his older soon-to-be boyfriend.

Maybe he had overreacted and projected all his worries onto Tony Stark. Maybe he should have had the decency to keep his mouth shut, but he hadn't and he didn't, and he honestly wouldn't have changed how he reacted. Not when he was certain his best friend would end up broken hearted after everything was said and done.

Tony could have been a good guy, he couldn't honestly tell. However, something inside of him thought otherwise. His insides twisted miserably every time he thought about Tony. He had started to hate every time Loki wanted to discuss his former school teacher, and prattled on insistently that things were bound to be different than his previous relationship. Bucky wasn't so certain of that, though.

Guys that labelled themselves as heterosexual weren't good dating material for them. Plenty of their mutual friends had had made that mistake before. So as far as he saw it, the proof was in the pudding. Tony might be the best guy around, but if he was hiding under the guise of being straight then there was only trouble in the future.

Shoveling another spoonful of macaroni into his mouth, Bucky tried to focus on the game and not the funny way he felt whenever he thought about Loki and the potential of him being hurt again. For years now, he had gotten a flip-flop feeling in his gut when it involved his best friend; although he always disregarded it with some excuse or another. Because honestly there was no way in hell that he cared for Loki beyond friendly terms; there was no way in hell.

The one time they had attempted a romantic relationship, it hadn't worked out well. In fact, it could be described as ending ridiculously bad. They had done nothing but argue, essentially becoming an old married couple overnight which had been horrifying to say the least. So really there was no way that it could work a second time around. They simply were not compatible.

Someone who would be better suited for him was Brock Rumlow. He had tattooed Rumlow only a few days ago and by chance ran into him on the street when he left Loki with Tony. They had flirted heavily and Rumlow had promised to call for another appointment with him in the future; all of which looked pretty promising if only for a good lay or two.

Rumlow looked like he'd be a beast in the sack, something Bucky sorely needed. He had struck a dry spell recently; he and Loki hadn't slept with one another in weeks. He had been too sickened by the whole Tony situation to really want any sexual contact with his best friend. And well, he highly doubted Loki wanted to touch him either.

Just as he brought his spoon back to his mouth, Bucky was jarred by the sound of a door being thrown open. He flinched as it struck the wall, before warily shifting his eyes away from the television. Loki stormed into the room with wild eyes and a beet red face; he looked half-mad, almost rabid.

"Can I help you?" He asked, before eating a mouthful of macaroni.

"My mother called."

"Did she tell you that you were adopted or something?"

"This is serious, James!" Loki barked and crossed the room in several strides; he blocked the TV and clenched his fists tightly.

Bucky fell silent; he had seen Loki angry hundreds of times and he knew when to shut up. Whenever Loki went on a tirade, it was easier to sympathize or take cover. He was torn between fleeing or living up to his title of best friend. But he figured he'd do the latter, mostly to save himself the grief of being caught.

"My mother just called me and said we needed to talk. She then asked me if I was sleeping with Tony. And that's because Baldur is convinced that we are, but not only that he is so uncomfortable that he wants to switch teachers." Loki tried to keep his voice even-toned but failed miserably. "My little brother knows I'm sleeping with his chemistry teacher!"

"Did you really think they wouldn't find out about it eventually?"

"Did you say something to Baldur? I know you _hate_ Tony, so I wouldn't put it past you."

"Excuse me?" Bucky almost laughed at the accusation, but soon felt fury boil in his gut when Loki narrowed his eyes at him.

The last time Bucky had spoken to Baldur was last Christmas. They didn't have a chummy relationship; they got along fairly well, but they weren't friends by any stretch of the imagination. And it would be pretty low and scummy of him to divulge that sort of information to a teenage boy. It was a goddamn insult.

As calmly as he could, he set his half-eaten macaroni onto the side table and stood. He wasn't going to let Loki intimidate him and try to bully him into a confession. More often than not, Loki was the one in charge when it came to their friendship; it didn't necessarily bother him either, except when it came to these idiotic temper tantrums of his. He'd be damned if he let himself be accused of something he didn't do.

He couldn't deny the fact he didn't like Tony. Hell, he'd freely admit to how much he hated their joke of a relationship, but he never would try to sabotage it. Loki was still his best friend and he could do whatever the hell he wanted in his personal life. If he wanted to get his heart stomped on then he was more than happy to do so.

"You have some fucking nerve accusing me of telling your little brother that." He gritted out, while jutting his finger out at Loki. "Yeah, I hate your stupid hetero boyfriend. I think you're making a huge fucking mistake by getting involved with him too. But it's your goddamn life – live it however you want to. I'm not that much of a mastermind to feed info to Baldur. Plus, why wouldn't I have done that with Fandral too? I never liked that dipshit either, but clearly I was too fucking stupid to come up with this conspiracy until now!"

"This directly involves Baldur!"

"Then you tell me, Sherlock; why did Baldur fucking despise Fandral? Maybe he put two and two together and figured out he was a no good scumbag! And maybe, just maybe, he figured out this whole secret affair by himself!"

"I swear to god, James-"

"You know what, fuck you! Fuck you, Loki!" He yelled, before he spun on his heel and strode to the hallway.

He could hear his blood rushing in his ears, as he walked into his bedroom that had been overtaken by all of Loki's belongings. Blindly, he stormed to the closet and ripped open the door. On the bottom of the closet was a large suitcase that Loki had brought with him when he moved in. He grabbed it and threw it haphazardly onto the bed, before unzipping it and throwing it open.

Fueled by anger, he started to toss Loki's possessions into the suitcase. Clothes and shoes were thrown in first, followed by an array of odds and ends. He found a belt that wasn't his, several paperback novels, a phone charger, and a notebook which were unceremoniously tossed into the suitcase. He wanted everything of Loki's out of his bedroom, out of his apartment, and directly out of his life.

There was only so much abuse one person could take before it came too much. Bucky was sick of being Loki's doormat. He was sick of bailing him out. He was sick of being there for him, when the favor was never extended to him. Everything had always been about Loki and he was done with it. He couldn't take another second of it.

"What are you doing?" Loki appeared in the doorway suddenly.

"Something I should have done ages ago!" He retorted. "You think you can accuse me of shit and that I'll let it pass? You think it's water under a fucking bridge, Loki? Well, you are wrong; you are dead wrong!"

The suitcase was soon overflowing with possessions, to the point where they'd never fit without being packed properly. But that only infuriated Bucky even more; he picked up the suitcase and threw it as hard as he could against the wall, sending everything flying across the bedroom. And it was all Loki's fault; Loki and his fucked up relationships and his accusatory nature and how he could drive him crazy with just a look.

All this time, every single year of their friendship, Bucky had been in love with Loki. He had convinced himself otherwise; believed that there was no way in hell that it could be true. They were friends, only friends, _best_ friends. They were Bucky and Loki, the dynamic gay duo. They were friends with benefits, a failed couple, but nothing more than that.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. He wasn't supposed to be the lovelorn puppy in every movie in history. He was supposed to be the _real_ best friend; the supportive friend that would always be there without any strings attached. He wasn't supposed to be a goddamn Hollywood stereotype. He wasn't supposed to be fucking Julia Roberts!

Shakily, he ran his hands through his hair. He was disgusted with himself; he hated himself even. Loki had confided in him and trusted him completely. And what had he done in return? He had fallen in love with him and sabotaged him every step of the way when it involved his relationship with Tony.

"James," Loki said quietly, followed by the sound of his footsteps. "I am so, so sorry. I know you would have never told Baldur about me and Tony. I was just so angry about the situation and you were the closest target. You didn't deserve that; you'll never deserve that kind of treatment from me."

Words failed Bucky. He couldn't say a thing without it turning into a confession and that sickened him tremendously. How could he ever look at Loki again now that he knew of his true feelings for him? How could they remain friends at this rate?

Loki made his way to him eventually, before pulling him into an embrace. As pathetic as he was, he crumbled into his best friend's arms and looped his own around him. He couldn't believe he'd been so blind and ignorant of what he wanted. Loki had always been the one; even when they were fighting like cats and dogs, it had been perfect. Because for a few short weeks, he had been the one Loki called boyfriend and went on dates with and who he slept with exclusively.

"Fuck, I'm sorry." He blurted out and pulled free. "I threw your stuff everywhere. God, I'm a dick."

"Trust me, I deserved it. Maybe a punch to the face would have been more appropriate, though."

"No, never," he said solemnly, before he dropped to the floor and gathered pieces of clothing until he had an armful.

Loki followed his lead and started to help pile everything onto the bed for the time being. Despite their argument being short-lived, the ramifications of it still loomed over their heads like a storm cloud. Something had broken between them. Or in the very least, Bucky had become grimly aware of the fact that he had been harboring an unrequited love for Loki for too many years to count.

Today was the day he'd have to forget it. He would support Loki in his relationship with Tony without any judgment whatsoever. He would have to; he didn't have any other choice. And well as for him, once he went back to work tomorrow night, he would look up Rumlow's number and call him. Because in the very least he needed a distraction, since he wouldn't get what he wanted most. He would never have Loki.


	33. Chapter Thirty-two :: Dodged A Bullet

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**Chapter Thirty-two :: Dodged A Bullet**

 

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Tony contemplated the text message he had composed over an hour ago. He hadn't sent it yet, unsure if he could. Things had gotten complicated in a matter of days. One minute he was blissfully in lust with Loki, and the next drama had worked its way into his life completely.

Being alive as long as he had, he should have recognized how foolish he was being. His relationship with Loki was bound to become public knowledge, and there would be repercussions because of it. Public opinion was a powerful thing, even if he knew he wasn't doing anything wrong. But the taboo of a teacher-student relationship was still there.

He had seriously contemplated the pros and cons of his interaction with Loki. The pros were quite obvious; they got along fairly well, they enjoyed one another's company, and the sex was beyond compare. It was probably the best sex he ever had in his whole life, hands down. And then there were the cons, which he found to be far more extensive than he would like to admit to.

The largest con he had come to realize was pretty simple – his professional integrity would be compromised by his decision to date a former student. Whether or not the student in question was nearing thirty was irrelevant; parents would not be pleased by this revelation. That would ultimately lead to some sort of smear campaign to have him transferred to another school, if not burned at the stake.

Also he knew that that it would get back to dear 'ol dad in some capacity too. It would be the perfect leverage for him to both humiliate him and make sure he took up the helm as CEO of Stark Industries. He had been avoiding that responsibility for most of his life, and he honestly didn't want to get drawn into it at this age either. Not when the old man still had his senses and his nasty personality to boot. So he needed to consider every option and figure out what he really wanted.

Being with Loki had been a breath of fresh air; he had had a lot of fun with me. He just didn't know if he was worth the hardships ahead. Quite frankly, he didn't know if Loki wanted anything beyond a fling still despite their conversation in bed.

Something had seriously caused him to second guess Loki's feelings for him. He didn't know if it was lent to paranoia or what, but he swore there was something funny between him and his best friend. There seemed to be a weird sort of tension between them, which didn't have anything to do with his presence there either. And that bothered him, particularly when Loki had left him at the bar without so much as a promise to reschedule.

"This is ridiculous." He announced to an empty room, before he jabbed the send button on his screen. "I'm not a fourteen year old kid. He answers or he doesn't, there's nothing else to it. Get it together, Stark!"

He scrubbed a hand over his face and waited. At the moment, he couldn't imagine himself doing anything productive. His mind kept drifting back to the situation at hand, and his desperate need to talk to Loki about all his concerns. They needed to have a conversation now more than ever.

Things had rapidly changed of late, and they couldn't just ignore it now. The greatest point of contention was Baldur's knowledge of their relationship, and what he was bound to do with that information. Tony wasn't stupid. He knew Baldur would tell someone eventually, which would cause a chain reaction and eventually turn into explosion that would blow up in his face.

From the few confidants he had told about Loki, they had been of the opinion that he knew what to do. Pepper had been strangely understanding about the situation; while Rhodey had been a pillar of support from the beginning. But they both had hinted on ending things with Loki, in order to save him the grief that would undoubtedly follow him.

Even though he wasn't exactly happy with his professional life, it didn't mean he wanted to be laughed out of his position. That would only drive him crazier, knowing that he couldn't cut it as a teacher especially when he hadn't given up on his own terms.

His phone vibrated loudly and jolted him in his seat. Quickly, he took it up and was pleased to find that Loki agreed to come over for a chat which was an incredible relief. The conversation couldn't wait any longer, not when things had progressed towards the ugly fairly quickly. He knew it would only be a matter of time before they were both outed by Baldur.

He fidgeted as he waited for Loki. He toyed with his phone, reading through emails he had neglected all day, and scanned over a message from Rhodey that mentioned something about Dr. Banner and his desperate need for a lab assistant still. But he didn't think much of it; he had far too much on his mind to allow anything else in at the moment.

Once his phone became a useless distraction, he stood from his seat on the couch, and paced from one room to the next and back again. He repeated his trek several times until he heard the doorbell ring. His breath caught in his throat, before he tried to be casual and walk to the door without displaying the anxiety he was overflowing with.

Hurriedly, he made his way to the entryway and pulled open the door. Loki stood on the front step with his battered leather jacket on and navy blue scarf loosely wrapped around his neck. He looked distracted, although he smiled all the same at him.

"Hello, Tony. I was in the neighborhood. Rather I was nearby,"

"Glad I messaged you when I did then." Tony stepped aside so Loki could come into the house. "I still wanted to talk to you about a few things."

Loki didn't reply right away, beyond walking into the entryway. He still had a distracted look on his face, which didn't bode well for the conversation ahead of them. Or maybe that's what they needed. Maybe they shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place, considering all the issues their relationship would inevitably cause.

It was too early to make that call. The first thing they needed to do was talk and go from there. He needed to know what Loki was thinking, and what his reaction would be to knowing that Baldur knew of their relationship, or whatever was going on between them. He suspected the news wouldn't go over too well.

As he led the way into the living room, he tried to articulate his concerns into words. He had over gone the finer bullet points in his head earlier in the day; he hoped he could get them out without any trouble. He hoped Loki wouldn't throw him through a loop by chance. But Loki was a wild card at best; it was impossible to know what he was thinking and when.

"Please, have a seat."

"Thank you." Loki dropped onto the couch, before he pulled out his cellphone, and made a face of annoyance. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Something pretty serious," he admitted and sat beside Loki, but not too close.

"Yes, well, I have something serious to tell you too."

"Excellent, we're on the same page; compatibility level high!"

"Listen," Loki said seriously, as he pocketed his phone again. "My brother, Baldur, he knows about us. He told my mother of all people, and she called me to chew me out. But not only that, Baldur wants to change classes just so he doesn't have to see you anymore."

The information struck Tony hard. He'd been under the impression that he was about to drop a bombshell, but Loki had beat him to the punch and his news was far worse. Not only did Baldur know Mrs. Odinson did too; the mother of one of his current student and former student knew about his sexual practices of late. And Baldur wanted to drop his class because of it.

Stunned, he flopped back against the couch cushions. He should have expected something like this to result from his relations with Loki. Baldur had every right to want to switch out of his class, considering how uncomfortable things had gotten for him. No one could blame him.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" He turned to look at Loki.

"Trust me; it was a shock for me. I needed to process the information myself."

"I knew Baldur knew, but your mother?"

"Wait, what did you just say?" Loki lifted a hand, in the universal sign to hold up. "Because it sounded very much like you just said you already knew about Baldur."

"That's why I wanted to talk to you that night at the bar. But you were busy, clearly."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It wasn't a double entendre, Loki." Tony shifted in his seat so he had a better view of his former student. "You were preoccupied with your friend."

After that unfortunate night, he had had a lot of time to think about Loki's best friend. His behavior seemed pretty indicative of a jealous boyfriend, as opposed to a concerned friend. For that brief encounter, Tony felt like he'd been transferred into a badly scripted eighties teen movie where Loki was Molly Ringwald.

Anyone from a mile away could tell this Bucky character was absolutely gaga about Loki. No matter what he had done that night, Bucky would have hated him all the same. Because he was the other guy, but he wasn't sure if he was _the_ guy; not with how fast Loki had ditched him at the bar that night.

"My best friend was having a crisis and I stupidly overlooked it." Loki said on the verge of being venomous. "Yes, he was being awfully rude and I don't condone his behavior, but I understand why he did what he did. He was angry with me and you were collateral damage."

"Well, I guess he should be angry when you invited me along. It's obvious he's in love with you." He declared thoughtlessly and immediately regretted it.

Anger flashed over Loki's face suddenly; he bared his teeth and practically snarled, which was a side Tony hadn't been exposed to before. Loki had been fairly mellow around him. Sure he had been sexually aggressive and hot and cold, yet he hadn't gotten angry with him before.

"You are bloody mad! Bucky is _not_ in love with me!"

"Okay, maybe he just wants to sleep with you. Whatever it is, he wants something with you that isn't just platonic friendship."

"I'll have you know he's on a date right now! So your deduction is wrong!"

"So is that why you'd been looking at your phone a while ago?" He asked and he knew he said the wrong thing again.

Loki leapt off the couch and stared him down, as if daring him to continue down that train of thought. It was apparent that he had struck a nerve, which only meant that Tony was right. Loki had been distracted because his best friend was on a date. God, how could he be so blind?

Laughing softly, Tony shook his head. He thought he only had to compete with a former boyfriend not a best friend. Now his career was also on the line because not only did Baldur know about his inappropriate behavior, but so did his mother. That was worse than Baldur confiding into another student about it.

"Initially I wanted to talk to you about how you allegedly had a boyfriend when we first hooked up. Then I realized Baldur knew about us, so we really needed to talk about that. But now we don't need to talk about any of those things anymore. Christ, I've been blind."

"My boyfriend," Loki's voice went up an octave, close to a scream.

"The boyfriend who your brother hated; the one you didn't tell me about, for one."

"We had an open relationship!"

"Yeah, well it would have been nice if you clued me in on that." He retorted. "And I'm sure the ex had barrels of fun with Buck-a-roo too."

"I don't owe you a damn thing!" Loki hissed; his cheeks had two rosy spots in them now, which threatened to spread and paint his skin completely red.

Of course, Tony agreed with what Loki had proclaimed. He didn't owe him an explanation for anything. They hadn't established any sort of relationship; everything had been purely sexual at this point. Sure, they had toyed with the idea of something more; but it hadn't come into fruition of yet. Now it seemed like it never would.

There were too many variables against them. Tony realized his professionalism would undoubtedly be in question if the news spread beyond the Odinson family. Hell, he could possibly be without a job if he continued having sex with Loki. Not only that though, Loki hadn't been forthcoming with him about anything which was a great way to start things off.

His former student was bogged down by emotional baggage. He had a boyfriend that he'd only broken up with, relation to a current student and an infatuated best friend to top things off. Now it seemed pretty clear that Loki more than likely felt the same way about Buck-a-roo on top of it all.

"I think we dodged a bullet." He admitted, although he didn't take any joy in admitting it.

"Go fuck yourself." Loki stormed past him and back the way they had come.

Like clockwork, the door slammed and rattled the pictures on the wall. You would think he would be used to the sound already. Pepper had stormed out too many times to count. But there was something sad about knowing Loki was the one who left. Because something told him he wouldn't be seeing his former student again. Or at least not in the capacity that he originally waltzed into his life again only a few weeks ago.

"I dodged a bullet, remember that Stark. Remember that for Christ's sake."


	34. Chapter Thirty-three :: Second Thoughts

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**Chapter Thirty-three :: Second Thoughts**

 

* * *

 

Fury propelled Loki into the empty apartment. His footfall echoed off the scratched floorboards and down the hallway. He shoved open the heavily decorated door on his left, and into the recently tidied bedroom that had become his home.

The room still smelled of Bucky's cologne. He had sprayed some on and winked roguishly at Loki, which only meant one thing and one thing only. The implication had bothered Loki; he knew he shouldn't have felt that way, but he had brushed it off as quickly as he could and buried it deep down inside.

At the moment their friendship was on unsteady ground. Living with one another had had its disadvantages. They didn't have a moment apart, and much of the time they spent with one another had revolved around conversations about Loki's personal life. It was no wonder they had gotten on each other's nerves and even fought.

Loki had been irrational of late. He'd been a nightmare to live with, since he'd been so wrapped up in his own problems and lusts. God only knew how he wished he hadn't gone home with Tony Stark in the first place. Because maybe then he wouldn't be in the conundrum he was in now.

Had he stayed obliviously in love with Fandral, he knew everything would be fine and dandy. Regardless of what anyone thought, he did love his ex-boyfriend; he had been happy to a point too. Maybe things hadn't been exactly ideal, but they had worked in some capacity over the years. And they could have continued that way if he hadn't deviated from the script.

Life felt so much simpler only weeks ago. Things had made sense; they hadn't become convoluted and complicated until now. Back then his family hadn't been any wiser about his sexual practices either. But now his mother and younger brother knew of a few of the devious misconducts he'd been involved in, and that was the last thing he wanted them to know.

He shouldn't have expected anything differently, though. He had gotten involved in a dicey situation and it had blown up in his face. Tony Stark had been forbidden fruit; he had been the epitome of his boyhood fantasies, and unfortunately the reality hadn't been as sweet as he would have hoped it would have been.

While he did enjoy Tony's company, the fact of the matter was that they couldn't possibly sustain a relationship with one another. Hell, it was far too early for Loki to even think about a committed relationship at all. He and Fandral had only broken up, and Bucky had had a point – he needed to take some time for himself.

The greater portion of his adult life had been spent in pursuit of love and sex. Most people his age lived very similar lifestyles in that respect. But he possibly had gone an extra mile in pursuit of those goals, especially after living a closeted life during his formidable years.

He had wanted acceptance so badly. He wanted to find his place in the world, and he wanted someone to share a life with. Unbeknownst to him, things were far more difficult than they should have been. Fandral wasn't the man he would end up with. Tony looked equally unlikely too.

Relationships couldn't be built with only lust in mind. It was too early for Loki to decide that Tony was the one, when in all actuality he hadn't been certain at all. Regardless of him being eager to explore the possibility, he knew he couldn't without being put under a microscope and risking Tony's career as a teacher. So really maybe they had dodged a bullet.

That phrase had infuriated him at the time, but now he ultimately believed it was the right terminology for their situation. As for his anger, it had been shifted towards the other things Tony had said to him; more specifically the things he had said about Bucky and the insinuation that he was pining away for him and vice-versa.

That couldn't be any further from the truth. They had tried to be romantically involved before and to disastrous results. How many times did he have to explain it to people before they understood? He and Bucky were best friends; things didn't run any deeper than that. They were just friends.

Pulling out his cellphone, Loki checked for the umpteenth time for any response to his slew of messages. None had been answered, which aggravated him further. Even though he knew he was being single-minded, he couldn't seem to control himself.

"Where are you?" He asked aloud, before stabbing at his touch screen, and sent another message that he assumed would be ignored along with the rest.

Bucky had gone on a date earlier in the afternoon with someone named Brock Rumlow. All he knew about the man was that he was tattooed, drove a motorcycle, and was at twelve years older than Bucky. Brock Rumlow had been the man Loki had seen Bucky speaking with several days ago, and while he seemed like his best friend's type down to the very last detail; he couldn't help but be worried just as Bucky worried about for him when it came to Tony.

Why he was worried was beyond him, though. Bucky had gone several dates in the past, and it never really occurred to be bothered by it. It must have been because of Bucky's confession about Alexander Pierce. Seeing as there wasn't any reason for him to worry about where Bucky was or what he was doing.

Bucky could defend himself and could watch out for himself. Loki had seen him bare knuckle fight people in the past and win almost every one of them too. So he was well aware of how petty his concern appeared to be. No less it gave Tony's insinuations weight which was absolutely ludicrous.

Collapsing onto the bed, he glared at his phone then at the wall. Bucky was clearly ignoring him. Hell, he was probably getting pounded into Brock Rumlow's dirty futon at that very moment. Because someone named Brock Rumlow must own a dirty futon smeared in motor oil. He certainly didn't seem like the domestic sort.

Before his mind could conjure up any further images of that nature, he heard a sound from the front room. Perking up his ears, Loki heard the rattle of the doorknob as it was unlocked. Seconds later, he heard the door open and close, and an undeniable whistle follow soon thereafter. It was Bucky; it had to be Bucky.

Instead of rushing out of the bedroom and confronting him, he decided to let Bucky come to him. He waited tensely as his best friend rummaged around for a few minutes in the other room. He appeared eventually with a bottle of Pepsi in hand and a stupid grin plastered onto his face like he had just won the lottery. God, it was downright disgusting.

"Oh hey, I didn't know you were here." Bucky said, before taking a drink of his soda. "I figured you would be spending time with your ex-teacher."

"Maybe if you checked your phone, you would actually know where I was."

"My phone died on me, sorry!"

"That's all you have to say to me?"

"What else is there to say?"

"I was worried about you." Loki bit out, all the while trying not to sound angry.

Antagonizing Bucky wouldn't get him anywhere. They were barely on the mend from their last fight, and he didn't want to be on the outs with another person. He was sick and tired of arguing with everyone that he knew over one thing or another.

"Well, you didn't need to be. I was on a day date and he was a perfect gentleman." Bucky rounded the bed and climbed onto the mattress.

"I'm sure your definition of a perfect gentleman is anything but."

"We went out to lunch, strolled around for a bit, rode on his motorcycle, and fucked. He even let me shower afterwards, so yeah like I said - perfect gentleman."

Loki wasn't surprised by this revelation. Of course, Bucky had given himself to Brock Rumlow on their first date. Bucky hated to play games; if he wanted something, he usually went out and got it. Sex always seemed the incentive for any date he was on. He didn't seem exactly interested in a relationship, so Loki didn't understand why his chest felt suddenly heavy because of it.

"So did he fuck you on his futon while listening to Judas Priest?" He blurted out.

Bucky snorted loudly, while reached for the remote control. He flipped on TV and switched on the History Channel right off the bat. The man watched little else, unless the Yankees were playing and that became his main priority instead.

There was a documentary on the bubonic plague currently on, and while Loki knew that wasn't exactly Bucky's forte; he'd still watch it all the same. Anything to do with history was something that interested him; he was far from uneducated as so many people believed him to be. He might have not gone to a university, but it didn't mean he didn't like to learn.

"You have some imagination. Brock doesn't even own a futon; he had this nice sleigh bed, king sized. And the only music playing was his balls slapping against my ass. God, I hadn't been fucked like that in ages; I really needed it."

"At least one of us is happy." He repositioned himself on the bed, so his back was to the headboard like Bucky's was.

"Did you see him?"

"I wanted to go over and see him, in order to discuss the Baldur thing. He messaged me and invited me over; very convenient. But things didn't end well."

"What do you mean by end?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you, James? It's over." He glanced over at Bucky, who looked strangely neutral over the news.

Loki didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't what he inevitably gotten. He figured Bucky would be thrilled, maybe even repeat Tony when he said they had dodged a bullet. He wanted a reaction; he wanted an elaborate over the top reaction, not the indifferent face staring back at him currently.

That wasn't the look of a man who wanted him. Everyone had the wrong idea about them. They could have sex without any emotional attachment. They could love one another without it turning romantic. How hard was that to understand? But why was it hard for him to accept suddenly too?

Throughout the duration of his adulthood, Loki had always been wanted by someone. Men pined over him; his confidence had been directly tied to the attention he'd gotten from interested parties. Being in a relationship had provided an even greater confidence boost, well except when Fandral had insisted on sleeping with outside parties anyway. And maybe he selfishly wanted Bucky to fawn over him now that Tony wouldn't.

"I figured you'd fight to be with the guy. You acted like he was the best thing in your life." Bucky said evenly, before he muted the TV's monotone drone. "So why did it end? Or is that top secret information?"

"It ended because it had to." Loki frowned. "His professional career was undoubtedly going to be affected by our relationship, and my family would not accept it. My mother was furious; I was hurting Baldur's education by carrying on with his teacher, and I needed to rectify the situation."

"You're not the type to take shit from anyone. Well, unless you're sleeping with them anyway."

"Shut up,"

"Listen, if he's the one you want then you have to go after him. Do you want to wake up years from now and realize you fucked up when it came to something you really wanted?" Bucky touched his cheek lightly, almost as if he thought he'd break. "Don't be like everyone else. Don't be like me. We're all a bunch of cowards with too many regrets to count."

Something flickered in Bucky's eyes that knocked the wind out of Loki. It was subtle, almost indiscernible, and gone within the blink of an eye. But it had been there, which negated the indifference and cool confidence that Bucky had been displaying since he returned home. It was exactly what he wanted to see, while also being exactly what he didn't want to see.

Conflicting emotions rose up inside of Loki. How had he'd been so blind to see the obvious? How had he gone throughout their friendship without any inkling to Bucky's feelings towards him? Had they always been there or was this a new revelation? Had his break-up with Fandral and his relationship with Tony been the final push?

"I don't know." Loki blurted out in reference to what Bucky had said and the torrent of thoughts in his head. "I don't know if he's what I want. It might have been completely sexual."

"You're having second thoughts."

"James, you were right though. I rushed into things; I didn't give myself enough time to get over Fandral. I might have just pursued this thing with Tony because I wanted to be wanted."

"I don't know the guy." Bucky dropped his hand, before turning to stare at the muted TV. "I assumed the worst because I was worried about you. For all I know this Tony guy will be good for you; I mean he isn't some shit head like Fandral. He's more mature than all the assholes we've dated."

"Is that why you're with this Rumlow character?" Loki shot back almost accusatorially.

Bucky turned to look at him. His poker face had disappeared, revealing a slew of emotions that Loki never knew existed inside of his best friend. Anger and yearning seemed to be the foremost emotions on Bucky's face, which made his insides tighten. Because he knew everyone's perceptions were accurate after all. Everyone knew that Bucky was in love with him, and maybe just maybe…

The blare of Bucky's ringtone broke the moment. The loud riff of guitars and the thunderous boom of drums snapped them out of whatever revelation they were on the cusp of unearthing. Bucky turned away and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, before he pulled out his phone and read the screen.

"Brock," he said and swiped the screen with a finger.

Loki watched as his best friend pressed the phone to his ear, and speak in that heartbreakingly charming way of his. His heart thumped hard in his chest as he listened to the conversation. He didn't have any right to be angry with Bucky; he hadn't any ownership to him, but his feelings were irrational and he was furious.

Without a word, he climbed off the bed and stormed out of the room. He couldn't be in the same apartment as Bucky right now. The only place he could go was some place he avoided for weeks now, but there wasn't any other place he wanted to be but at home.


	35. Chapter Thirty-four :: Home

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**Chapter Thirty-four :: Home**

 

* * *

 

The comforting smell of coffee filled the kitchen; it was late but Frigga hadn't been able to sleep, and decided a cup of tea would be in order. Somehow though, she had ended up with a fresh brew of coffee and her journal spread out before her; a pastime she usually didn't get the opportunity to partake in very much nowadays. Not with keeping a constant eye on Baldur, ever since it was revealed he was doing abysmally bad in his chemistry course.

Having children had always had its challenges. Baldur was no more difficult to handle than Thor or Loki, but the former had an uncaring manner to him that proved to be problematic. None of the Odinson children had been angels, though. They all had had their moments and Baldur's moment appeared to be now.

Unfortunately, it wasn't only Baldur's deceit and academic problems that Frigga had to handle. Loki had proven himself worthy of concern still, and it was directly correlated to Baldur's school issues. The revelation about Loki's relationship with his former chemistry teacher and Baldur's current one had been shocking to say the least. And she couldn't simply turn a blind eye to it; not when one of her children was suffering because of it.

Baldur's education was important, as much as Thor's and Loki's had been. So she couldn't ignore the matter and allow Loki to continue on as he was. She especially couldn't when she knew her son had only recently broken off a long-term relationship, and was clearly hurting because of it. Even if she came off as a nosy mother, she knew she had to address the matter regardless of how uncomfortable it had been.

Obviously, Loki had not been receptive to her prying. He had even raised his voice during their conversation, ready and willing to fight for his privacy. But she had vocalized her concerns not only for Baldur but Loki too. Because she sensed that this wasn't a good match for her elder son, and she didn't want him to be hurt in the aftermath of his hasty decision.

Loki had always been emotional in his own way. Outwardly, he concealed his emotions rather masterfully; however, that didn't make him any less emotional than anyone else. In fact, he was probably more emotional than most and that led him into making the wrong decisions frequently enough that Frigga noticed them.

With a weary sigh, Frigga took a drink from her coffee mug. It was past midnight and she should have really gotten to bed already. Her day tomorrow was filled with endless errands; dry cleaning needed to be dropped off and picked up, grocery shopping needed to be done, bills needed be paid, and she needed to have a long conversation with Baldur's tutor too in order to make sure he kept on the straight and narrow. But sleep seemed like a pipe dream currently; she was too worried to relax.

Her mind continued to wander to Loki. They hadn't spoken since their telephone conversation two days earlier. Neither of them had been happy with the other; Loki had been incredibly hostile about his personal life becoming known by his mother, and she understood that completely. She knew how private Loki was when it came to his own affairs and she respected that up to a point.

Very rarely did she probe into any of her sons' personal lives. Thor's engagement to his college sweetheart Sif was known to her, but the finer details were none of her concern. She had approached Loki's relationship with Fandral the same way; she didn't ask any intimate questions, and she didn't receive any answers either which was just fine.

Loki's relationships were particularly shrouded in mystery, though. Ever since he had brazenly come out to the family, he had kept things to himself. Frigga didn't blame him either. Odin had had a negative response to the knowledge of Loki's sexuality, and she hadn't reacted sanely either. Unlike her husband however, she had been filled Loki with fear when it came to the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. And in retrospect, she should have been more delicate when it came to that matter.

Worry had dictated much of her early interactions with Loki when he told everyone he was gay. She had witnessed the HIV/AIDs scare of the eighties, and she supposed that experience hadn't fully left her even with the advancements of modern medicine. She knew she was a worry wart and she knew her mania about protecting Loki had probably done more harm than good.

As she reflected on one of many regrets she had as a mother, she heard a key in the lock behind her. Swiveling in her seat, she spied a figure through the windows in the door. Only family members used the kitchen door and she knew right away who it would ultimately be.

Loki stepped quietly into the kitchen, but paused midway into shutting the door. He looked tired and unhappy and he didn't attempt to hide it. Without so much as a word, he closed the door and moved to the cupboard and pulled out a ceramic cup, before pouring himself some coffee. Afterwards, he seated himself across from her and took a sip.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked in means of a greeting.

"I wanted to come home. I got cold feet, though; so I drove around the city for a while. It didn't help."

"You know you can always come home, Loki. Never doubt that."

"I'm ashamed, Mother." He said evenly. "I'm ashamed that you learned about my relationship with a man that was formerly my teacher. I'm ashamed that my decisions have had a negative effect on Baldur. And I'm ashamed that I rushed so blindly into something after my break-up with Fandral. I have a lot to be ashamed over."

Frigga observed her son with steady eyes. His face was blank again, although that was to be expected; Loki knew how to hide in plain sight. But inside he was clearly upset about what had come to pass between them. Of course, he would be with the sharp words they had exchanged over the telephone.

Reaching across the table, she touched his wrist and offered him a reassuring smile. No matter how much she disapproved of his personal affairs, she would always be there for her son. She had specifically told Loki many times over that nothing would stop her from loving him; this situation included.

"Darling, you are a passionate human being. You feel so much more intensely than most people. Sometimes that clouds your judgment, but never doubt that I love you and that your father loves you. No matter what you do, we will always love you. And while we might not approve of every decision that you make, that doesn't mean we don't care for you and want you to be happy."

"Ultimately that's the problem." Loki sighed as he set his cup down. "I am not happy and I wish I knew why."

"You've only been apart from Fandral for a short time. I imagine you're still coping with the loss of a long-term relationship. That's natural, sweetheart. You should mourn over something like that; it was an important part of your life."

"I'm coping well enough with that, Mother. I understand that my relationship with Fandral wasn't especially healthy and I was miserable because of it. But that's not why I'm unhappy; not completely anyway."

"Then tell me what is the matter, please." She squeezed his wrist.

Loki took in a deep breath, while he glanced away from her. She could see how conflicted he appeared and she would wait as long as she needed to until he was comfortable to speak. If he didn't feel comfortable now then she would be there for him anyway. She would never pressure him into speaking if he didn't want to.

"I took our previous conversation into consideration, you know. Even if I was furious about it, I realized why you were upset with me." Loki began, although he still would not look at her. "Baldur is already having a hard time in chemistry without having to deal with an added distraction. And it was selfish of me to take advantage of the situation, especially when there are so many other men in the world."

"I also understand your position too, love."

"Even so, I have been very selfish and short-sighted which I fully recognize now. Which was why I decided to have a conversation with Tony, I mean Mr. Stark."

"Oh, Loki," Frigga frowned; she already knew what that entailed.

Despite believing the match was not a very good one, Frigga didn't want her son to be unhappy either. Seeing one of her children heartbroken or depressed hurt her to the core. Unfortunately, she had seen Loki in that position too many times while he was a teenager and trying to figure out who he was.

She had hoped these days were behind Loki now. When he had gotten into a relationship with Fandral, she had been overjoyed by it. Fandral had been very attentive towards Loki in front of her; he had been gentle and charming and seemingly a perfect match for her son. She had been convinced that maybe Loki had finally found the man he was destined to spend the rest of his life with.

"As uncomfortable as it is to admit, our relationship was purely physical. I convinced myself otherwise, though. I wanted someone so badly in my life that I obviously blew things out of proportion." Loki confessed grimly. "I'm in love with the concept of love, Mother. After Fandral, I felt empty and I wanted someone to take his place in my heart. Now that I realize it, I feel like such a fool."

"My love, there isn't any reason for you to feel foolish. Heartache can cause our brains to conjure up funny things."

"Even so, I realize how irresponsible I've been. Just because Mr. Stark was a man I admired when I was a child, I threw all sense to the wind. I did some incredibly stupid things and I'm not proud of any of it."

"Life is about learning and growing from those experiences, Loki. Maybe your relationship with Mr. Stark wasn't meant to be, but at least you recognize it now than months into it; worse yet _years_ into it."

"I have a bad habit of becoming attached to men who identify as straight. Fandral was one of them; he hadn't been with another man before me. And Mr. Stark was the same way or so I assumed that was the case. I should have been more cautious, but I wasn't."

"Don't beat yourself up about it." She insisted, blatantly ignoring that tidbit about Fandral. "Nothing will come of it."

Since she didn't pry unnecessarily, Frigga didn't know that Fandral hadn't been with another man until Loki. Quite frankly, she doubted that Loki would have willingly told her until this point. While they were close, some things were not meant to be discussed between mother and son.

"But there's more; somehow there is even more to this situation." Loki finally made eye contact and looked absolutely miserable. "This part is terrifying me, Mother. I don't know what to do about it, let alone what to think about it."

Frigga sat straighter in her seat at those words. Worry gripped her tightly and she tried to calm down her heartbeat which had quickened suddenly. She didn't know what Loki was about to reveal, but she shared in his fear and hoped that that she could somehow help her son.

While she worried about all her children, she couldn't help but worry about Loki even more. The world was a cruel place and there were still so many close-minded people when it came to homosexuality. She had every right to be scared for her middle child, and that fear hadn't dampened much despite Loki being an adult.

"What's wrong? Whatever it is, we'll figure out together and handle it." She reassured, even though she didn't know if they could handle it at all. She only hoped they could.

"It's James." Bucky murmured cryptically.

"James,"

"Bucky, Mother,"

"Yes, I know who you're talking about. But why is he a problem? I don't understand."

"Because," Loki covered his eyes with one hand, but didn't elaborate any further.

They sat in silence for some time. Regardless of Frigga's anxiety involving the situation, she didn't pressure Loki into speaking of yet. She knew he would speak when he was ready to. He always did in the end when something was truly bothering him.

"Mother, have you ever sensed something between me and Bucky?"

"What do you mean?"

"People, so many people have assumed we were a couple. Or they believed we had feelings for one another that we were unwilling to fess up to."

"Initially, I thought you were hiding your relationship from me." She confessed delicately. "However, you made it perfectly clear that you two were just friends. I didn't have any reason to think otherwise, darling."

"Tony, I mean Mr. Stark, met Bucky last week." Loki dropped his hand. "Bucky acted like a jackass. I know why he did, but he still acted like one. And well, when I went to see Mr. Stark tonight, I happened to be distracted because Bucky had gone off on a date with someone else and I was worried. But he misinterpreted it and he claimed it was obvious we had feelings for one another."

"I assume you told him otherwise."

"I did. Of course, I did."

"So what's the problem?"

"I know Bucky has feelings for me." He laughed abruptly. "All this time I'd been blind to it, while everyone else saw it,"

Clamping tighter onto his wrist, Frigga tried to give Loki the most sympathetic and understanding look that she could. She had also seen some wisp of affection from Bucky that went beyond friendship, but it hadn't been her place to point it out. Clearly, everyone else had decided to share that information with her son already.

Loki lifted his cup again and took a several small sips from it. He seemed to be trying very hard to organize his thoughts without becoming emotional, which was just like him. While Thor was both emotional and affectionate, Loki was cool and picky when it came to physical contact most of the time.

"The thing is that I've been overly concerned with him being with someone else." Loki began. "I was angry with him over it. So angry in fact that I stormed out when the guy called him on the phone,"

"Oh my,"

"Mother," Loki sounded on the verge of being hysterical. "I don't want him to date anyone! I don't want him to be intimate with anyone! I just want…"

"I understand." She smiled reassuringly and squeezed his wrist again. "Loki your feelings aren't uncommon, but you need to come to terms with them yourself. If you cannot say how you feel out loud then you need to make peace with it internally before you can move on."

Loki covered his eyes once more, seemingly in an attempt to calm himself down. She didn't press him to say anything else; it was apparent that he hadn't accepted how he felt for his best friend yet. And no one could push him towards acceptance, especially if he didn't want to come to terms with those feelings.

"Could I stay here tonight?" Loki asked softly.

"My love, you don't even have to ask. This is your home; you're home." She leaned over to place a kiss to his knuckles. "Now let's go to bed; you'll have a fresh perspective tomorrow."

"You're right."

"Of course, I am. I am your mother, after all." She closed her journal, before she stood and urged her son to do the same.

She could freely admit how difficult it was to raise children, Frigga couldn't imagine her life without her three boys. They caused her endless headaches and even broken her heart on occasions, but she wouldn't have changed anything for the world. Not even this late night conversation.

Someday, she knew, Loki would find happiness. Maybe it wouldn't be with Fandral or Mr. Stark or maybe not even Bucky, but she had high hopes and optimism on her side that Loki would be as happy as Thor was and Baldur too would find great happiness in the future. But sometimes it was harder to come by and you had to fight for it, and Loki was a fighter just like her.


	36. Chapter Thirty-five :: Too Young To Understand

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**Chapter Thirty-five :: Too Young To Understand**

 

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Baldur stared warily across the breakfast table. The smells of bacon, scrambled eggs, and freshly made waffles filled the air. It was an everyday occurrence; it was the norm. But having Loki sitting across from him with the _New York Times_ spread out in front of him was not.

No one had addressed the oddity of the household's unexpected guest. His parents had gone along with their usual morning routine. His father had left early with a slice of toast clamped between his teeth and a travel mug of tea in hand, while his mother had continued standing at the stove like a centurion with the usual mindless babble. And Baldur was apparently supposed to go along with this charade.

Something had happened overnight. Every sign pointed in that direction, yet no one wanted to say anything about it. Baldur knew when things didn't concern him; he was the youngest child, he was used to being excluded from things. In this case though, he deserved to know what was going on especially when Loki's dalliances correlated in a convoluted way to his education.

Knowing one of your older brothers was having sex with your chemistry teacher had a way of distracting someone from their schoolwork. Even with his tutor breathing down his neck, Baldur still found it hard to not think about that horrible revelation whenever he was at his desk. He had, thankfully, known most of the answers on his recent test. But it still took a great amount of concentration to not run out of the room when his mind wandered morbidly to Loki and Mr. Stark tongue kissing.

"Elephant in the room," he finally spoke above the din of his breakfast being prepared.

As to be expected, his mother turned to look at him and so did Loki. One stare was quizzical while the other was offended; leave it to Loki to take the phrase literally. The beanstalk in the room didn't quite have the right feel, unfortunately.

"What do you mean?" His mother asked in that oblivious tone that was normally used around him when he was six and questioned the existence of Santa Claus.

"So I'm supposed to ignore the fact that Loki's here?"

"Nobody said that."

"You and Dad are pretending like this is normal." He shot Loki a suspicious look. "But it isn't normal because Loki's _never_ here for breakfast."

"We aren't pretending everything's normal, Baldur. We also aren't making a big deal over absolutely nothing either." His mother replied, before she returned to scrambling the eggs on the stove top.

Annoyed, he looked back to the person in question. Loki returned his stare steadily not revealing anything. Even though Loki was technically homeless at this point, he had had been staying with his best friend. Unless, of course, he decided to ruin his academic career completely and was in the process of moving in with Mr. Stark instead.

That would easily take the cake of the worst case scenario ever. It was bad enough that they were sleeping with one another, but it would be worse if Mr. Stark became part of the family. Because any and all of his bad behavior would come to light one way or another; Mr. Stark would be more than happy to air out his dirty laundry for Loki's amusement.

"Why are you here?" He whispered. "Come to ruin my life even before school?"

"You brought on your own misery." Loki returned just as hushed.

"By ditching class and not studying; you're the one who decided to screw my chemistry teacher!" He hissed and was unsurprised by the non-reaction from Loki.

Honestly, it would only be too easy to grapple with Loki right now. What did he have to lose anyway? His life had already been reduced to studying and community service. What else could his parents do to him besides send him to boarding school in Europe like they had with Loki before him? And well, that had done wonders for Loki's apparent problem.

Maybe a Swiss boarding school was what he needed. Getting away from Mr. Stark could possibly do him wonders since he wouldn't end up envisioning his teacher and his brother playing tonsil hockey with one another endlessly.

"That's a non-issue, baby brother."

"For who exactly,"

"For everyone involved, actually." Loki folded over his paper with steady hands. "Adults make mistakes as much as children do. You made a colossal mistake by neglecting your studies, and I made a massive one by not informing Mother and Father about your mistake."

Why was he surprised that that was the stance Loki would take? Yes, he had made a stupid mistake by ditching chemistry and by doing abysmally on the assignments and tests. But he hadn't urged Loki to pursue a sexual relationship with his teacher. Loki had done that all on his own, even when he was in the middle of a nasty break-up with Fandral.

If he could turn back time, Baldur would have done a lot of things differently. For one, he would have taken his studies more seriously and if he couldn't do that, he wouldn't have asked Loki for help. He had made a deal with a devil and he'd gotten burned. Not to mention he had also gotten traumatized for life on top of it too.

It was hard to believe, but he wished that Fandral was still in Loki's life. Even if he hated the bastard, at least he was better than the alternative. Loki had obviously loved him, so he couldn't have had been all that bad, despite him being a cheating piece of shit.

"I wish you would have told them." He glowered.

"You have a reason to be angry with me. Just as I had a right to yell at you over your nasty behavior towards me,"

"Well, yeah; I was being a big-headed jerk. I'm sorry for that too. But I'm still mad that you would screw Mr. Stark!"

"No one's contesting that, Baldur." Loki took in a deep breath, before he shot their mother's back a quick glance. "That was one of my biggest mistakes to date. While I'm not going to discuss my relationship with Fandral, I put it in jeopardy because of what I'd inevitably done. And I selfishly thought my actions only affected me. I neglected to realize that you'd be affected by them too."

That was the closest thing Baldur ever got to an apology from Loki. Sure when he was younger and Thor and Loki ganged up on him, their mother made them apologize to him and they were never sincere about it. So he couldn't help but be taken aback now, more so even when Loki admitted that sleeping with Mr. Stark had been a mistake.

Loki had a tendency to never make mistakes. Or in the very least, he wouldn't admit that he had made one; he somehow always brushed away mistakes and defended his decisions until he was blue in the face. Baldur had suspected he would justify his relationship with Mr. Stark in the same fashion; it was his MO after all.

"Why do you do it, Loki?" He finally spoke, once he collected his thoughts.

"Why do I do what?"

"Why do you always mess around with the wrong guys? Fandral was the worst by far, but you didn't get it right with Mr. Stark either. It's like you only think with your dick. You never think about what'll happen afterwards."

"That isn't true." Loki snapped, although he didn't seem to have any valid points against the contrary.

"I saw Fandral kissing some girl before. That's why I hated him; I knew he was cheating on you, but I knew you wouldn't listen. You never listen so why bother telling you something like that? You'd probably defend him anyway." He sighed and knew their mother was probably eavesdropping; there was no way that she couldn't hear the conversation now.

Loki looked shell shocked. He stared at him for what felt like hours, before he shook his head abruptly. The surprise had left his face, but the expression in its wake was no better. It was bitter and unhappy as it should be.

"We had an arrangement if you must know."

"God, that just proves my point! You're attracted to assholes!"

"Tony wasn't an asshole, Baldur! He is not one so stop jumping to conclusions!"

"Yeah, but it didn't work out did it?" He volleyed back and shockingly enough he was pretty sure he had won the argument.

Maybe Mr. Stark hadn't been like Fandral, but it was obvious that he wasn't a suitable match for Loki either. Everyone knew Mr. Stark had some redhead as his girlfriend; Baldur hadn't seen her personally but a lot of other students had. And he imagined that would pose a problem in the future. Exes didn't just disappear into thin air, especially not one that had been well-known since Loki was in school.

More than likely Mr. Stark was bisexual, and well that wasn't what was bothering Baldur about the situation. It was just downright weird, in his opinion anyway, that a teacher would want to sleep with a former student. It wasn't illegal but it was kind of skivvy and pretty perverse too.

"You love this, don't you?" Loki asked with a narrow-eyed look.

"Why can't you just be with someone that'll be good for you?"

"And who would that be if you are so well-versed in what's good for me, baby brother?"

"Well," Baldur began, although he thought better of pronouncing his opinion; he knew it was a trap.

It was dicey to tell someone how to live their own life period. It could easily turn into Chernobyl if he said anything to Loki, however. Loki was already showing signs of blowing his top, and he wanted to save himself at all costs. He still had a whole day of school to go and a class with Mr. Stark on top of that.

"Well what?"

"I'm not falling for it. No way, no how,"

"No, I want to hear what you have to say. Clearly, you've been thinking about who is my type. So tell me; I'm dying to hear it!"

"Loki, love," their mother intervened just then. "Do not start an argument."

"I am not starting an argument. I'm only curious about Baldur's mindset. My brilliant younger brother,"

"I've raised my grade; no thanks to you." He scowled, unable to dampen his rising temper.

Both his older brothers could be infuriating. Loki and Thor had always ganged up on him one way or another. Even now that they were adults, they liked to joke about showing him a lesson once he hit eighteen. He didn't believe that they would, but the implication wasn't a nice one anyway. And well, if he held some resentment because of it no one could blame him.

Before either of them could verbally attack the other, their mother set two plates down in front of them filled with food. That should have been enough to cause for cooler heads to prevail. Or at least it should have distracted them from the impending doom between them. Sadly, it did not do so.

Loki continued to stare him down, ready to pounce at any given moment. It wouldn't be the first time he took his anger unjustifiably out on someone who didn't deserve it. In which case, it was pretty obvious that his break-up with Mr. Stark was more serious than Baldur had initially determined it to be.

"Too scared to speak your mind?" Loki smirked meanly.

"That is enough. Eat your breakfast and leave this conversation alone."

"To be honest, you're such a jerk that no one should want to date you." Baldur ignored their mother. "Because the guy I was thinking of is probably too good for you. It'll be a downgrade for him."

"Baldur,"

"Now I'm really intrigued! Go on, baby brother. Tell me about this mystery man."

"You should have stayed with Mr. Stark. Both of you are out to destroy my life anyway. You have a lot in common."

"I said that is enough!" Their mother interjected loudly, finally drawing their attention onto her. "You two are family and you both are too old to be having such petty arguments!"

"He started it by sleeping with my teacher!"

"You started it by being born!"

"At least Bucky has some common sense! He wouldn't date you if you were the last guy on the planet!" He snapped back.

Whatever comeback that had been at the ready on Loki's part seemed to have died on his lips. Loki's eyes widened and his lips parted, but he didn't say a word. For several moments the silence stretched between them; even their mother seemed at a loss for words, which never really happened. Not when they were fighting with one another anyway.

Without any warning, Loki suddenly laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh by any stretch of the imagination, though. It sounded like a bark, possibly on the verge of becoming hysterical but not in a good way. If anything, it set Baldur immediately on edge.

"Bucky this, Bucky that," Loki leaned back in his chair and covered his face with his hands. "Bucky, Bucky, Bucky, Bucky,"

"Loki, please," their mother said delicately, as if trying to tame a wild animal.

"We are not a couple!" Loki replied shrilly and leapt out of his seat. "He is dating a motorcycle riding, leather wearing daddy type! Because his problem with authority has devolved into some kind of kink, and I'm no better! God, I really am not!"

Once he finished his declaration, Loki crossed the kitchen in several long strides before he left out the back door. Baldur cringed as he slammed the door shut, but that was nothing in compared to the flinch that overtook him when he remembered his mother was standing above him. He was bound to get a tongue lashing he wouldn't soon forget now.

He waited for the scolding to begin, yet it never did. Instead his mother dropped into the chair Loki had only recently been in and let out a long-suffering sigh. She looked tired but no less strong. After all, it was his mother that held the family together. She set everyone straight one way or the other. It was only when she couldn't do it with stern words that their father was brought into the picture.

"Am I in trouble?" He asked.

"No, love you are not. Your brother is highly emotional right now. He has to come to grips with some things that you are too young to understand."

"I'm not that young, Mom."

"You might understand the situation intellectually, but you won't understand it emotionally. Not yet anyway." His mother shook her head. "Loki will work it out for himself. Now eat your breakfast; you need to get to school in half an hour."

"He really has a thing for slamming doors and storming out of places."

"Eat your breakfast." She repeated with a roll of her eyes. "But I agree all the same with you on that."

Obediently, Baldur picked up his fork and speared some scrambled egg. Sometimes it was better not to ask questions. While he was close to adulthood, he suspected his mother had a point. He couldn't really understand what Loki was going through, and quite frankly he really didn't want to know the details. He just hoped whatever was going on with his brother would come to pass, and he became his playfully insufferable self again. Because the personality he currently had was not a fun one to be around. And their doors wouldn't survive anymore slammings at this rate.


	37. Chapter Thirty-six :: New Opportunities

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**Chapter Thirty-six :: New Opportunities**

 

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The great flu epidemic last year had been the last time Tony had called into work. He had been bed ridden for almost two weeks; delirious and immobile and seemingly on the verge of death. It had been rough; it had been especially rough to come back to work after all of that time too. Because as to be expected his classes had accomplished absolutely nothing in that time frame; they had fooled around and the substitute teacher hadn't rectified their behavior at all.

Unlike then, Tony wasn't ill and he only planned to be away from work for the day. He had driven into the city and was currently in a coffee shop sitting across from the reputable Dr. Bruce Banner. Out of the blue, Dr. Banner had contacted him two days prior and wanted to have a meeting with him. While he had been wary to do so, when he heard Rhodey was the cause of the meeting, he really couldn't say no.

Besides he really needed to get away, if only for the day. His subsequent blow-up with Loki had left him a bit despondent. Not that he could really mourn a relationship that hadn't come into fruition, but because he felt like he had returned to square one again. He was back in the same unhappy place he had only gotten out of, thanks to the exit of his former student who had provided him with so much needed excitement.

Frustration seemed to snap at his heels at every waking moment now, a constant reminder that his life wasn't all it was cracked up to be. There was something missing. Or maybe he was just having a mid-life crisis, which would explain why he had leapt at the chance to explore his sexuality again and with a much younger person on top of that.

Mid-life crises happened. He was only human, and well everything seemed so monotonous and predictable nowadays. The only excitement he could count on was his roller coaster ride of a relationship with Pepper, and even then he didn't want to deal with it anymore. Because they both were too old to play those kinds of mind games with one another and it wasn't cute either.

Loki had provided him with a splash of much needed fun. He felt alive when they were together and the sex had been incredible. But it really couldn't last forever, especially since they were inherently so different. It would have probably ended worse than any of his break-ups with Pepper could.

"Well, Tony," Dr. Banner pulled him away from his thoughts with a timid smile. "This isn't necessarily a job interview. I don't really believe in those, especially when I'm seated across from a well-known genius and heir to a multi-billion dollar company."

"With all due respect, the company doesn't have much to do with me. I worked in the R & D department when I was kid during the summers. I haven't had any hand with the current technology that the old man's been developing of late."

"Don't be so modest. Everyone knows your earlier research has been the stepping stones for the company's current success. Your father has said as much in every interview he's done of late."

"Just trying to butter me up," he said dismissively, before sipping at his scalding hot coffee.

Of course, he knew that his earlier research had provided the family company with the leverage it needed in the weapons business. He wasn't modest by any stretch of the imagination. He knew his intellect was invaluable to Stark Industries, but he also didn't agree with the company's direction especially when his political stance collided so completely with the weapons manufacturing market.

While teaching wasn't something he was passionate about anymore, at least it washed away some of the guilt he harbored for indirectly causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis. Even if he was a stupid kid, who only wanted to create something fantastic to impress daddy, it didn't absolve him of things.

"The job is beneath you, Tony."

"Teaching the future generation?"

"No, I think that's incredibly admirable. What I was referring to was being my lab assistant." Dr. Banner folded his hands on the tabletop. "We both know that you could be the head of your own laboratory if you wanted to. You have the credentials for it; you are more than qualified. But for some reason you aren't letting your potential shine."

Tony inwardly flinched. He was struck by a spell of déjà vu. It sounded strangely familiar to what he said to quite a few of his students. He hated to see anyone waste their potential by fooling around in class, and who would have thought he was doing the exact same thing by being a science teacher?

Everyone knew (or at least said) that teaching was an admirable career choice. Teachers were the unsung heroes of the world. They were making a difference every single day that school was in session, but they were paid in peanuts and they were still disrespected by students, parents, and administrators alike. Honestly, for someone like him, maybe he was really in the wrong profession just to piss off his father.

He could be doing so much more than he was. He could be changing the world one innovation at a time, instead of squandering his time away in a classroom with uninterested teenagers as his only audience. The world was his oyster and he wasn't seizing it with both hands; not even with one of his pinky fingers.

"I'm not into killing innocent civilians in the name of peace." He said dismissively. "Let's just say if I was doing anything at any lab in the country, they would expect me to innovate a way to blow up an entire country more effectively than the atomic bomb did. So my job options are actually pretty limited."

"Again with all due respect, I don't think that would be the case. Even though Stark Industries is a weapons manufacture, I think you could have carved out a niche for yourself somewhere else."

"Maybe so, but I'm a high school science teacher now. That's what I know how to be."

"You're adaptable, though." Dr. Banner smiled. "Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes-"

"Rhodey for short,"

"Yes, well he had a lot to say about you. All positive, of course,"

"As he should," Tony nodded.

"And I really believe that if you wanted to, you could put a mark on the world. Not in terms of making weapons or anything, but something so much more productive and helpful," Dr. Banner insisted enthusiastically. "Over the past few years, I've been focusing my research on clean energy. I truly believe that you could greatly help my work. Not as a lab assistant, mind you. But as a partner."

Despite his inner dialogue to remain cool, Tony's ears perked and he couldn't help but lean forward. He had had brainstormed, only for fun mind you, about clean energy before. While he hadn't devoted any real time or effort into the cause, he was interested in an alternative energy source that wouldn't harm the environment. Plus, they sorely needed a change before they killed every life form on the planet (including themselves).

"Well, color me intrigued."

"I thought that might interest you."

"How did you know?"

"I think you and I are quite a bit alike." Dr. Banner smiled wider, which was oddly infectious.

How long had it been since he had met likeminded people such as himself? He honestly couldn't say for certain. In fact, he couldn't say with an authority that he had met someone he could relate to at all on an intellectual basis. But something told him that Dr. Banner was different; he was the type of guy that got him, maybe not completely but enough so that it would be easy to get along with him.

The thought that he could get his hands dirty and invent again was very appealing. He hadn't stepped foot in a lab, a fully equipped lab, since he was in college. And now the opportunity was practically being extended to him on a silver platter. How could he turn it down?

"How's the pay?"

"Do you want the truth? Or am I trying to woo you into the position still?"

"Consider me thoroughly wooed, a bit skeptical but wooed all the same."

"To be blunt – it's shit but probably better than what you make annually as a teacher."

"In other words, it is a small fortune." Tony laughed and Dr. Banner followed suit.

The allure of taking up a research project was really too good to be true. Money wasn't exactly an object nowadays for him; he had enough to manage and if this lab position paid more than his current job then he could live comfortably. So really nothing was holding him back.

He was fully aware that quitting midway through the school year would pose some problems for his students, Tony found that to be a distant concern at the moment. He had an incredible opportunity right in front of him and he would be stupid to turn it down. After all, when would a job like this fall into his lap again?

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for him. He was finally being handed the change that he needed in his life. So really it was a no brainer. He had to take this job, even if it was selfish of him to leave his students high and dry. He had to do it for himself.

"I'm very close to being persuaded, Dr. Banner."

"Please call me, Bruce."

"Okay, Bruce. Like I said, I'm very close to becoming your new partner in crime. I'm not seeing any cons so far unless you're hiding something from me."

"Well," Dr. Banner's smile wavered slightly. "There's always a catch."

The enthusiasm that Tony had been feeling slowly lessened a bit. Of course, there would be a catch. Any good deal in life always came with a catch of some sort. Nothing was black and white; he should have known better.

"Lay it on me." He frowned and searched Dr. Banner's face for any clue of what this catch might possibly be.

"I'm moving to a new lab here in the city."

"So that would mean I either have to commute every day-"

"Or you would have to move here. But other than that there are no other surprises; it would be all about trying to find an alternative to fossil fuels. It would all be about the research."

"I would have to move." Tony said more to himself than Dr. Banner.

Commuting every day for close to an hour, discounting traffic, wasn't something he wanted to do. Anyone who had suffered the indignities of sitting in traffic for hours on end wouldn't actively choose to do so day in and day out. And Tony had been stuck in New York City traffic more times than he liked to remember.

Gingerly, he reached up and rubbed at his forehead. He hadn't been planning to uproot his life at all. When he woke up this morning, he had suspected his meeting with Dr. Banner was just a formality. He hadn't expected to actually be interested in his research. Nor had he expected to even consider moving to the city; not when he had a house and a life an hour away.

"You're putting me in between a rock and a hard place, Bruce."

"And for that I'm sorry. But I really hope you'll consider the offer, Tony. This job would suit you perfectly and we could really make a difference."

"I understand that. Trust me I do." He eyed Dr. Banner carefully. "The job sounds great. I mean I've been in a rut of late, and this would really make my life better. I'd finally be doing something useful; something I know I would love. But you're also asking me to uproot my entire life."

Mentally, Tony began to weigh the pros and cons of this new job opportunity. If he took the job, he would have to sell his home and with the current market, he wasn't sure it would sell. So if it didn't sell, he could rent it out. But being a landlord was worse than having an empty house on the market. And then there was Pepper.

Pepper shouldn't have even been a factor in his decision. They weren't together; he didn't even know if he wanted to be with her after Loki. But at least he knew definitively that Loki wasn't a factor and never would be one. Whatever they had was over and done with, and it was more than likely a lapse in judgment on both their parts. That didn't mean he hadn't liked Loki, he still did; however, it already reached its shelf life.

Loki was very young and spontaneous and painfully emotive. Tony liked almost everything about him, yet that hadn't had been enough. Besides in comparison to his history with Pepper, his brief stint with Loki seemed a little silly.

"Do you know a good real estate agent? Because if I take the job, I have a house to unload and I'd like to get what it is worth." He finally said, despite a lot of his reservations against the contrary.

"I'll see what I can do. So that means you'll take the job?"

"Like I said, you wooed me. I would be an idiot to turn down a job like this, even if it means moving back home. I have to do it for me."

"You won't regret it, I promise you." Dr. Banner reached over and slapped his arm gently with a huge grin.

Tony returned the grin and set aside all his reservations for the time being. He was going to focus on the positive for once; everything else would fall into place one way or another. And if he couldn't sell the house or lost Pepper in the process, well he'd find a way to rectify it somehow. But for now, he was going to celebrate a small victory with what he predicted to be a new friend.

Things were finally looking up for him.


	38. Chapter Thirty-seven :: As Friends

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**Chapter Thirty-seven :: As Friends**

 

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The taste of whiskey and maraschino cherries lingered on Bucky's tongue as he pushed in his front door. He smacked his lips together and walked into the dimly lit apartment. Steve always left a light on in the kitchenette when one of them worked nights. Or in this case, whenever someone went out for a bender with a sexy older man named Brock Rumlow.

He smiled drunkenly as he closed the door behind him. Tonight had been a good night. Rumlow had been attentive and handsy; two things that he greatly appreciated with any date. He especially enjoyed the distraction today since he had been sideswiped by Loki's temper tantrum the night before, and he was still licking his wounds.

God only knew what he had done to his best friend this time around. Maybe he hadn't been present enough when he confessed to his newest break-up. Or maybe Loki had just wanted to be angry at someone who he knew really couldn't put up a fight against him to save his life.

Bucky found that he didn't want to know why anymore. He could only extend himself so much before it became too much for him to handle. And the whole situation had become downright painful to deal with, especially since he had finally made his peace with his true feelings for his best friend.

He was in love with Loki. He had been in love with Loki for years; the exact number wasn't very clear, but it was long enough to be problematic. But the possibility of a relationship was nonexistent; there wasn't any way that they could pursue a relationship even if he wanted them to. They just didn't work well with one another.

Rumlow was a better option. The guy was perfect; he had a thick cock and knew how to use it, and he didn't come with the excessive baggage Loki did. Or at least he didn't freely wave it around for him to see it, considering they were only casually dating at this point. They were in the honeymoon stage, and everything felt perfect and worth the effort.

"Brock Rumlow," Bucky said aloud; the name was slurred but sounded like music to his ears anyway. "Sweet piece of ass, Brock Rumlow,"

Walking towards the kitchenette, he reached for the light switch to flip it off. He was midway in doing so when a noise startled him. Clumsily he whipped around and almost tumbled over; it was only by instinct that he grabbed for the countertop and saved himself from a potentially serious injury and a whole lot of embarrassment.

Vertigo overwhelmed for a few moments, but once he regained his equilibrium he saw what had caused the initial disturbance. Loki stood in front of the hallway; he was obscured by shadows and looked almost scary. Then again Loki had always been a force to be reckoned with. He was worthy of fear when his temper piqued and when he felt violent.

"Thought you'd gone off for good," he chuckled lightly, relieved that he hadn't crossed paths with a home invader. "Figured you and the teacher had made up and were off to Bermuda. Or someplace stupidly cliché like in the movies,"

"You're drunk." Loki replied, before he stalked towards him. "Probably high too, if I know anything about you,"

Bucky didn't deny it. He might have had a few hits on a joint in between drinks. The night had been a lot of fun, so why would he deny himself a few pleasures? He had always lived an uncomplicated existence, which had worked in his favor for all these years. And why would he want to muddle it up with bothersome things such as unrequited love and self-control?

Loving Loki wasn't easy. It would never be easy. Being his friend came with hardships, but being his lover would be even worse. He knew that from firsthand experience, and he knew when to retreat and never let his true feelings be known. Because that would only ruin his simple, perfectly unobtrusive existence on this planet and he didn't want that.

"Hey, I had a great night." He smiled. "It was a lot of harmless fun. I even took a cab; I'm a fucking responsible adult, you know."

Loki glowered at him, as if his very presence was somehow offensive to him. He wouldn't be surprised if that was actually the case. Not with the trajectory of their friendship lately. Loki hadn't exactly been easy to be around of late and he probably hadn't been either.

"So you were out with _him._ "

"If by him you mean Brock then yeah. Yeah I was."

"Of course, you were." Loki practically hissed. "Where else would you be?"

The venom directed at him was uncalled for. In fact, he still didn't understand completely why Loki had stormed out of the apartment in the first place. He hadn't done anything to invoke his best friend's wrath. Hell, he had even encouraged Loki to pursue his relationship with his former teacher. So all of this hostility was misdirected; he hadn't done anything to deserve it.

Swaying a little, Bucky moved into the kitchen and towards the refrigerator. He was parched and he needed something to drink, Loki be damned. There wasn't any point on entertaining whatever qualms he had with him today. Not when he was drunk, a little high, and feeling like a million bucks too. That argument could wait for another day.

As he swung open the refrigerator door, far too hard than absolutely necessarily, he noticed Loki approach from his peripheral. Despite his obvious disinterest, it seemed like Loki was determined to pursue whatever tangent he was on currently. Bucky should have really changed the locks when Loki took off several days before.

"You are being an absolute fool, James. You aren't a teenager anymore."

"That's funny coming from you." He laughed, while he grabbed a Miller Lite from the top shelf of the fridge. "Because last time I checked, you were living out your high school fantasy! Why else would you be chasing after your old teacher, huh?"

"That was a mistake! I told you that it was over! But maybe you can't remember that with how stupidly drunk you are!" Loki shot back.

Bucky hooted obnoxiously loud in reply. Whether or not the relationship was over was irrelevant. Loki had been pretty determined to make things work between him and his teacher not more than a week ago. And well, Bucky had supported it up to a point until his own emotions got in the way that is.

"Stop laughing, James!"

"Stop laughing? How can I stop when you're being _hilarious_?"

"So my personal life is amusing to you?"

"Damn right it is! You want to police me when it comes to my personal life, when you should be worrying about yourself!"

"I'm not the one drunk and stoned right now!"

"No, but you're the one who fucked your teacher unprotected and had me come pick up your sorry ass and hold your fucking hand when you thought you got some kind of disease! So don't fucking lecture me, sweetheart! I used a condom tonight and I know Brock better than you knew dreamy Mr. Stork when you leapt in his bed with him! Don't fucking go there!" He yelled, struck by a burst of anger that had been developing inside of him of late.

How could he not be angry with things recently? Fandral had treated Loki like shit for years, and he had to hear every moment of it. He sat with Loki as he vented and cried about how unhappy he had been, but how he had remained determined to make their relationship work still. Then he had to support Loki through a health scare, an unconventional courtship, and eventual break-up with his teacher. All the while, he had been madly in love with him and unhealthily feeding off the negative experiences for his own damn reasons.

Anyone would have gone mental long before, but he managed to hold his tongue and keep his cool. He had been there for Loki every step of the way, completely oblivious to his own feelings until recently. And even now he was holding back, placing his affections elsewhere because he knew Loki would never want him back.

"His name is Stark not Stork." Loki said finally, although he sounded far from smug about it.

"I could give less of a shit what his name is! I'm drunk, asshole!"

"You're acting mad, James."

"Funny, since you were stomping around like my mother two seconds ago! You can't tell me what to do, Loki! I make my own fucking decisions, okay!"

"I'm worried about you! As much as you were worried about my relationship, or lack thereof, with Tony; I feel the same way about this Brock character!"

"Bull fucking shit," he slammed the refrigerator door closed, hard enough to make it rattle from the impact. "You don't give a damn about my well-being! What you do care about is if I'll be around to pick you up when you fall! You want me slaving away for you! You don't want me to have a life! Because my life should revolve around you, isn't that right? I should be there at your beck and call!"

"That isn't true! Don't you dare accuse me of not caring for you, James!" Loki yelled back at him, sounding angrier than he ever sounded before.

Cooler heads were not going to prevail tonight. Bucky was too wound up to try and calm down. It also didn't do him any favors by being inebriated at the moment. If anything, it only fueled his resentment even more. And whatever was eating Loki was no better.

"All you care about is yourself! You're selfish and self-absorbed and you expect me to drop everything to be there for you! That's how things have always been! The world revolves around you, Loki! It always has and when I finally have something going on, you can't handle it!"

"That is a bold face lie!"

"No, that is the truth!" Bucky snapped back, while slamming his beer bottle onto the countertop.

Deep down inside, he had always realized the imbalance in their friendship. It was his own damn fault, though. Loki deserved to be the center of attention; he deserved to be the focus of every relationship he was in. And Bucky would have done anything for him; blindly, faithfully, _always_.

Always came too soon, unfortunately. He couldn't handle the constant strain anymore. He didn't want to stand back and watch Loki pursue relationship after relationship, and be hurt over and over again. That was too much torture for one person; it was too painful to watch when Bucky wanted to be the one for once, but he couldn't be. He wasn't meant to be.

Loki drew himself up, as if he might very well scream at the top of his lungs and wake up everyone in the apartment complex. Bucky wouldn't put it past him either. What was a better way to get back at him than cause a disruption that could lure the police over and potentially get him arrested? But instead Loki blew out a breath, before his expression crumbled miserably.

"I never wanted you to feel that way. You're right, though. I made everything about me; I relied on you for everything, James. And you never complained; you never turned me away and I took you for granted. My love life took precedent over our friendship, and I've been horrible to you." Loki dropped his head, before placing his hands on his hips. "You're also right about Brock; I don't know anything about him. I don't have any reason to worry like you did with Tony. Because you knew I was repeating a disastrous pattern, and didn't want to see it myself. I couldn't bear to be wrong again."

"You're blind, you know. So goddamn blind and fucking stupid too,"

"No, James. I'm not blind at all." Loki looked at him, which told a story that he seemed unwilling to say out loud.

Bucky's blood ran cold with the realization that Loki knew. Maybe he had known all along and tried to ignore it. It was impossible to tell and quite frankly he didn't want to know the truth. He couldn't handle the truth.

They stared at one another, both seemingly speechless. The anger between them had died away and left something hollow in its place. Loki knew that Bucky was in love with him, and that acknowledgement was enough to change everything between them.

Unseeing, Bucky leaned against the refrigerator and tried not to panic. Having a mental breakdown would only exacerbate the problem anyway. It was bad enough without the added dramatics and the possible tears.

"What now?" He almost whispered, suddenly feeling a lot sharper than he had only moments ago.

"Acceptance, time, action,"

"Those are just random words that don't mean a damn thing to me."

"They should, though." Loki reached out and lightly grazed his unshaven cheek with his fingertips. "We will find a way to…give me time, James. I can't make you any promises as much as you can't make me any. And god only knows this isn't the right moment to discuss this topic."

"I'm drunk."

"I'm highly emotional."

"What the hell are we doing, Loki?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out together."

"As friends,"

"As friends," Loki agreed with a nod. "For now at least,"

Nothing had really been resolved and it probably wouldn't be anytime soon. Bucky could live with that; he didn't know any other way to approach the situation. He was drunk and high, after all. And for all he knew this was just a horrible trip and he imagined every detail of this conversation. In a way, he hoped that was the case.

Unsteadily, he moved past Loki and tried to find his footing. He needed to wash out his mouth and brush his teeth because the taste of Brock Rumlow on his lips was no longer appealing anymore and probably never would be again. Not when the taste of Loki haunted him like a tiny specter at the back of his mind.

"James,"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. Thank you for all that you've done for me. I couldn't have done it without you."

"I know, you're useless." He turned slowly and stared at Loki. "But I love you nonetheless, and no matter what I'll love you. Even if you are the starter gay,"

Loki scoffed but his eyes were soft, affectionate even. At that moment, Bucky remembered why he loved him so much and why he would always love him. And that was enough for now. It would have to be enough and he was fine with that.


	39. Chapter Thirty-eight :: Brotherly Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the worst chapters I've written. I can't write Thor to save my life and this chapter reflects that.

* * *

 

**Chapter Thirty-eight :: Brotherly Love**

 

* * *

 

Being away from home frequently had its disadvantages. Thor missed out on many important things in life. He lived out of a suitcase a lot and spent many lonely nights in subpar hotel rooms, eating unhealthy room service, and watching bad TV. It definitely wasn't a glamorous life, so he cherished the time when he was home more than most people did.

Now that he was currently home, he was on a mission, a family mission more specifically. He hadn't been in contact with Loki in way too long, and after he heard about what was going on in his brother's life; he felt it was necessary to have a conversation with him. Because he knew all too well that Loki wouldn't confide in anyone without being harassed into it.

Loki had always been distant; he'd been more than present during particular moments in their lives, but he had also made a concerted effort to keep his private matters to himself. Loki cherished his privacy and Thor had respected that up to a point, yet he had reached that point of no return after he learned about the reason why his brother's relationship had ended from Sif.

Obviously, it didn't concern Thor any. Loki was an adult and the way he chose to live his life was up to him. But that damn brotherly instinct always had a knack of kicking in, and well he had given up trying to control it over the years, especially since it seemed so counterproductive at times.

For the most part, Loki didn't need him to protect him. He had been bullied a bit as a child, only physically assaulted once, and he had always managed to take care of himself. Of course, it hadn't hurt that Thor made sure his brother's bullies were effectively silenced for good with a fist to the face. However, it wasn't needed; Loki didn't need him to fight his battles at the end of the day because he was more than capable of doing so himself.

That thought echoed distantly at the back of Thor's mind as he approached the porch swing at the back of the family home. Leaves had colored the ground, completely blanketing it in yellows, browns, and reds. Partially naked branches arched wickedly skyward and blocked out very little sunlight. But it was pleasant all the same with the drop of temperature of late.

Loki sat on the back porch absorbed in a book. The cover was obscured by his fingers, although there was a small glimpse of the author on the back. Thor didn't recognize the man's picture since he wasn't an avid reader like Loki was. He honestly didn't have the time to be with his career.

"I thought I would find you here."

"However would you have known that? It's like you've known me since childhood or something."

"It's good to see you too, Loki."

"I really can't say the same at the moment about you, Thor." Loki lifted his eyes from the page he was reading. "I believe I know why you're here."

Wordlessly, Thor climbed the porch steps and took a seat on the other side of the swing. It seemed foolish to deny why he had sought Loki out. Besides, he couldn't lie to save his own life. His tells were pretty obvious and Loki could read him backwards and forwards without any trouble at all. Sadly, the opposite couldn't be said in return.

"You live a colorful life, Loki. I never knew you had an open relationship."

"I never knew it was any of your busy." Loki replied tersely as he shut his book.

"Touché,"

"No, Thor. My relationship with Fandral didn't have anything to do with anyone else but the two of us. Maybe you disapprove and wouldn't pursue a lifestyle like that for yourself, but do not judge me because of it."

"I'm not judging you. I'm just surprised." He glanced at his brother. "Something tells me that you weren't one-hundred percent behind that decision. Call it a hunch."

Loki didn't contend his statement. Thor had known that Fandral was basically straight before he met his brother. It really hadn't bothered him on any level. Fandral seemed to be enamored with Loki, and when they had been together they couldn't keep their hands to themselves. In retrospect though, maybe he should have seen the cracks in the relationship earlier on.

Even if he had noticed something amiss, well what could he have done? Loki had stayed with Fandral for some reason and he might have stayed put too, if it hadn't been for Fandral leaving him. So in a way it was a blessing in disguise that things had turned out the way they did. At least now, Loki could find happiness elsewhere. Hopefully it wasn't with Mr. Stark; Thor could only hope for that.

"Let me guess if you know about my open relationship then you also know about Tony." Loki frowned. "And you are here to lecture me about that. I can see it on your face Thor; it's as plain as day."

"I'm not here to lecture you. I'm horrified, actually."

"That means you want to use your great big fists to pummel our old chemistry teacher into the ground."

"Obviously, he had more to teach than he already had."

"Trust me, I taught him more than the other way around."

"I just ate lunch." He grumbled and tried to suppress any unwanted thoughts about his brother and Mr. Stark.

But more than his disgust, Thor was concerned for Loki's well-being. It seemed way too soon for him to be seeing someone so soon after a break-up. Sex was one thing, yet he knew that Loki had had an incredibly apparent crush on Mr. Stark when they were kids, and that might cause him to run full steam ahead and try to pursue a relationship with him.

From an outsider's perspective, it was a bad idea. As an older brother, well Thor felt obligated to rip their old chemistry teacher to pieces for even touching his younger brother. It was only the mantra in his head, implanted there by Sif that that Mr. Stark and Loki were two consenting adults and he hadn't any right to get involved in the situation without facing prosecution.

It was probably the only thing that stopped him, really. He just wished he hadn't such an extreme reaction when it came to his brother. It was an unhealthy knee-jerk response that he always felt and probably always would.

"You've been out of town, Thor. You've missed out on quite a bit. Things have rapidly changed and you're getting old information. So let me catch you up, even if I would rather not tell you a damn thing about my personal life. But I rather you not beat an innocent man to death out of chivalry's sake."

"Do I want to even know?"

"You do. You wouldn't be here right now if you didn't. Because you and every damn person in this family are far too nosy for their own good," Loki turned in his seat in order to fully face him. "I only ask you keep your close-minded judgment to yourself. Not all of us can be like you and Sif."

Thor bit his tongue. He knew what Loki was referencing to. His relationship with Sif had been pretty much the textbook example of what a relationship should be. They had met in college at a fraternity event and had been inseparable ever since. Now they were engaged, currently living together, and if luck was on their sides; they would start their family soon enough after the wedding.

Loki's romantic pursuits had been completely unorthodox in comparison. Half the stories on how he met his partners, Thor didn't even know and he honestly believed they were far too risqué for any family member to hear about. But that was how much their lives veered away from one another. The sad thing was that Thor knew that Loki wanted the same mundane story for himself, and he just couldn't make it happen of yet (maybe not ever at this rate).

"Yes, Fandral and I were in an open relationship. You were right that while I agreed to the arrangement, I wasn't happy with it. But I thought it was a small sacrifice to make the man that I loved happy." Loki spoke solemnly. "Skipping over the gory details, I did meet Tony again because of Baldur and by chance we met at a bar a few days afterwards. The rest is history. We slept together and Fandral was unhappy with the circumstances so we broke up.

"Now I wasn't fully convinced about becoming involved with Tony. I decided recently that I would like to pursue it, but things didn't work out very well. Bucky finally stood up to me and told me that I needed to take some time for myself, and not to rush into anything prematurely. And he had a point; I do need some time alone to reflect on what I want. I can't do that if I'm putting my energy into another relationship. So things ended between Tony and I, and I believe it was mutual."

"That's, well oddly mature of you."

"Excuse me; I wasn't the one who wanted to pick a fight with our old chemistry teacher."

"But I heard from Baldur there has been a lot of door slamming of late." Thor retorted and smiled slyly.

Loki had a well-known habit of storming off whenever he was backed into a corner. When he found himself to be speechless, the best way for him to react was to retreat. But it had been awhile since Loki actually had a temper tantrum. Or at least that had been the case until recently from what Baldur had conveyed in passing.

"What a traitor."

"You fucked Mr. Stark, you traumatized our kid brother."

"If only he knew."

"I don't want to know. Please keep the details to yourself. Or I'll have to detail my sex life to you and I know you wouldn't want to hear that."

"Only because you're involved,"

"You don't like women."

"I can appreciate a woman, Thor. I can't appreciate you, though." Loki scoffed dismissively.

Thor couldn't help but laugh. It was a relief that Loki could still trade insults with him. He had been worried that he'd be despondent and unhappy. Maybe deep down Loki was still mourning over his failed relationship with Fandral, but he seemed in a fairly healthy mindset at the moment.

That was all that really mattered to Thor. He knew Loki was bound to be hurt; life was tough for everyone, unfortunately it had been far harder for Loki. And he just wanted to shield his little brother from anymore heartbreak and rejection somehow. That's all he ever really wanted, actually.

"You must be recovering still, though." He said seriously after a moment of companionable silence.

"I'm licking my wounds, but I'll be all right."

"I'm glad, Loki."

"I'm figuring out what I want in life. I'm doing some soul searching, and I think it's paying off."

"Mind elaborating or is it too personal to share?"

"Bucky and I," Loki looked away with an embarrassed chuckle. "We've been tiptoeing around one another for years. For a few weeks we actually attempted to be more than just friends and it ended terribly. But I think we could make it work in the future; I would like for it to work anyway."

The hopefulness of Loki's words made Thor smile; he had always wondered if there was more than just friendship between him and Bucky. While Sif had had a different opinion on the matter, he had always thought otherwise merely because he knew Loki so well. Besides, he thought Bucky had had the capacity to make his brother happy while also keeping him in line.

"It'll work so long as you want it to. Don't rush into things, stay levelheaded, and be compassionate. You're capable of all those things, Loki. I have all faith that you can do anything you put your mind to. So long as you keep your big fat ego out of the picture,"

"That's rich coming from you. You're so vain; you pursued a career that ensured your face would be broadcast all over the tri-state area. And need I remind you that you'd gotten highlights in your hair before."

"Says the man who has gotten manicures before,"

"Only the one and I did it for Mother's Day, since you biological ingrates wouldn't accompany our Mother there that day."

"God, I have missed you." Thor threw an arm around Loki and pulled him into a hug.

Without any further prompting, Loki hugged him back with a chuckle. They might have insulted one another rather frequently, but it was all good-natured (or it was for the most part). At the end of the day, they loved one another unconditionally and they both wanted the best for each other. Thor would never stop wanting the best for Loki no matter what.

He would still like to kick in Mr. Stark's teeth based on principle alone, but he could let it go for now. He really couldn't afford to be arrested and he was sure Mr. Stark needed his teeth anyway. And well, Fandral was a completely (and very gory) story altogether. But those violent thoughts came from brotherly love, so they were forgivable. Or at least Thor liked to think they were; he just wouldn't tell Loki about them.


	40. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're unhappy by the ending, well I don't know what to tell you.
> 
> The song mentioned is "Dance With Me" by Nouvelle Vague.

* * *

 

**Epilogue**

 

* * *

 

The day was brisk. Leaves colored the sidewalk and the tendrils of smoke crept from chimneys into the cloudless sky. It was mid-November and Baldur was in possession of his latest chemistry exam; the final one that Mr. Stark had given the class and graded for them.

Scrawled in bright red ink at the top of the page was a percentage, more specifically a seventy-four percent. Underneath that was a note, plain and simple and directly to the point. It was a goodbye, an apology, and a word of encouragement all wrapped into one. Baldur didn't realize how much he appreciated it, or wanted it for that matter, until he read it several times.

Mr. Stark had put his letter of resignation in weeks ago. He had confessed to the class that he had a business opportunity elsewhere that he wanted to pursue. But Baldur couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for the decision. Had it not been for his less than stellar attendance and grades, maybe none of this would have happened.

Loki wouldn't have ever gotten involved in the situation if only Baldur had kept his grades up and had been a better student. Things would ultimately have been very different had he kept on the straight and narrow. So if he felt dejected as he sat on the curb outside the high school, he felt like it was justified.

No one had imagined that Mr. Stark would no longer be a fixture in the science department anymore. Everyone had grown to know and love him. He was loud and funny but also strict too. He was one of the good teachers though and no one could deny that. Even when he had been up Baldur's ass about his abysmal performance, he still hadn't hated him and in a twisted way he appreciated the tough love.

It would be impossible to replace Mr. Stark, which the school administration proved right away. Mr. Stark's replacement was a white-haired, rickety old man with bug-eyed spectacles and suspenders. He wasn't the nurturing type either; if anything he was strict and no-nonsense in the worst way imaginable. There wouldn't be any room for mistakes now.

Grimly, Baldur looked across the school parking lot. Kids ran in between cars, chatting loudly, and completely oblivious to the loss the school had been dealt. Hell, he hadn't expected to be affected by the news very much either. It had been a surprise when Mr. Stark announced it, but it hadn't really sunk in until he was gone and Mr. Carver had taken his place.

It was just another change in his life recently, though. He was still under the equivalent of house arrest with his tutor on top him at every given moment. And he still wasn't given any leeway to have any sort of fun on the weekends, and he probably wouldn't have any freedom until next summer. But his home life had changed too because Loki was now living with the family again.

Loki had moved in a day after their last altercation at the breakfast table. They hadn't spoken about why he moved in, but it was apparent that things were rocky in between him and Bucky. Or something had happened that didn't make it comfortable for Loki to live with Bucky anymore.

Baldur had been curious about the arrangement; anyone in his position would be. However, his mother barred him from asking any questions. She had told him to respect Loki's privacy and not to aggravate an already complicated situation, which could have meant anything really. And maybe it was better to remain ignorant on the topic; he might learn something he didn't want to know (or learn more that he didn't want to know).

All he knew for certain was that it had been a chain reaction that he had brought on. Mr. Stark was gone, Fandral had been pushed out of the picture, and Loki was now living with the family. Baldur had been the catalyst for it all; his bad grades had possibly altered three people's lives (if not more). He had had more power than he ever imagined he did.

Dropping his eyes back to the test papers in his hand, he flipped through the pages. He didn't necessarily focus on any particular question; it was just something to do to pass the time until his mother came to pick him up. His father had mentioned in passing that if he got a passable grade on this test then he might get his car back, but his use of it would be restricted for only coming and leaving school which was fine with him. He didn't want to go anywhere, really. All he really wanted was a bit of independence again.

As Baldur came to the last page of his exam, his eyes darted to the half page that had been blank when he had taken the test. There had only been two questions on that sheet and the answers had only taken up a small amount of space. But now the blank half of the page had been taken up by legible and familiar writing.

He stared at the bulk of text, although he didn't read it right away. He had figured Mr. Stark said as much as he would have wanted to underneath his grade on the first page. Yet in the same bright red ink were several paragraphs that were meant for his eyes only.

_Baldur,_

_This is kind of unorthodox; it's really not my style to write things like this to my students. But I'm making an exception for you, considering everything that happened over the past two months. You deserve some kind of explanation. Call it an instinct, but you might be thinking my leaving is all your fault. Don't. It's not your fault and it isn't your brother's either._

_Teaching wasn't something I wanted to do. It just seemed like a good alternative to what I was expected to do. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it a lot when I got into the classroom. But of late I haven't had the exact same enthusiasm as I had in the past. That's my failing; ultimately it also narrowed down to the bureaucracy of the public school system and a lot of mumbo-jumbo that you wouldn't understand. All you need to know is that politics can really cramp any teacher's style (and parents aren't much better in that respect; sorry, but it's the truth)._

_Anyway what I'm trying to say is this – life is a matter of trial and error. Sometimes we make decisions that seem good for us at the time, but ultimately our lives change and those decisions (big decisions too) aren't necessarily a great fit anymore. That's what teaching was for me, way before you started to fail chemistry and way before I started to see your brother._

_What I've learned is that happiness is a failing grade away. Hear me out, okay. I don't recommend you fail all your classes that would be downright stupid. But what I'm trying to say is that sometimes you have to fail in order to succeed. Sometimes when you give up then there will be someone on the wings to pick you up and give you the right advice. Life is a series of mistakes and we learn from them._

_I hope you've learned from your mistakes, Odinson. It seemed like you have because you're toting a pretty good grade in comparison to what you started off with. You've learned something (none of which I can really contribute to myself, even if I am a narcissist by nature and nurture). And that's all a teacher really wants. That's our greatest accomplishment._

_Unfortunately, I put you into an awkward position by having a personal relationship with Loki. I didn't think of that; adults are sometimes as clueless as kids (we're equally as selfish too). That was never my intention and I know that wasn't Loki's either. We were blinded by our own agenda and for that I apologize sincerely for it._

_But what I really wanted to say to you is this – be brilliant and be curious. Try and apply yourself even when you're uninterested in a topic. You never know, maybe you'll end up falling in love with a subject that you never knew you would. But always give yourself a fighting chance, no one else will. I know this from personal experience; I know how life piles up on you and you try to find a break from the monotony because you were too afraid to go out there and be the person that you want to be._

_Never settle for less; work hard and wonderful things will eventually happen._

_The best,_

_Tony_

_(Mr. Stark sounds so formal and stuffy if you ask me.)_

Baldur read the message once then twice and another time for good measures. He hadn't really fallen for the whole pip talk every teen movie had a knack for inserting midway through the story. It all seemed like a bunch of bullshit that really wouldn't motivate anyone. But now, now he felt like he understood.

Smiling almost timidly, he lifted his eyes and saw Loki's jeep behind a parade of other vehicles. He got to his feet and didn't bother to wait for Loki to pull up to the curb. Once he was beside the jeep, he pulled open the door and lifted himself inside. The heater was on low and gave the compartment a toasty and comfortable fill to it. The stereo played a small, angelic voice over soft music that completed the picture of a perfect autumn day.

"I thought Mom was coming for me." He flipped his test closed and reached for his seatbelt.

"She had a few errands to handle." Loki replied while he eased out of the line of cars and made an easy U-turn.

They hadn't been alone with one another for a while now. Loki seemed to avoid the occurrence whenever he could, except they really couldn't avoid one another at the present. Baldur was okay with that, though. He felt a little less responsible for everyone's ruin after reading Mr. Stark's message.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Within reason, I suppose."

"Why did you move back home?" Baldur asked as gently as he could.

Loki shot him a brief but unreadable look, although he didn't readily respond. He seemed to be mulling over what to say. Or the likelihood that he was about to pull over and dump him on the side of the road was also a possibility too. Baldur wouldn't exactly put it past him, especially with the trajectory of their brotherly love of late.

"Things are complicated right now. My life has been turned upside down and I need to find my footing again."

"Because of me,"

"No, because of me; I made some questionable decisions." Loki explained. "I made several mistakes and things didn't work out as I hoped they would. Currently, I have a lot to think about and I needed some place safe to do it in."

"Did you fight with Bucky?"

"Not necessarily, no. Not this time anyway."

"What happened?" He dared to ask and waited for some sort of reprimand.

Loki didn't lose his temper, though. He kept his eyes on the road, while one of his hands shot out to lower the stereo a fraction. Several beats of silence followed this action, but Baldur didn't try to rush Loki into reacting. It was better to give him time to process things. And if he really wanted to make him angry, he would push him for a response.

They drove for a few minutes, simply listening to the radio while they drove past golden and crimson colored trees. It was peaceful to be with Loki for once, and in a way it felt like they had found some kind of understanding without the nasty banter and the horrible resentment.

"Bucky and I have feelings for one another. Both of us have pretended like they didn't exist until recently. But it isn't simple; we both have to work through things, before we can even think about pursuing a relationship with one another. Also, I need to do a lot of self-evaluation and try to understand why I'm so afraid to be alone. That would explain why I leapt head-first into an unreasonable situation with Tony."

"I think he was going through a mid-life crisis."

"Then I'm going through a quarter life crisis. But I don't regret the time I had with Tony. It just wasn't right; we weren't right for each other."

"And you and Bucky are?"

"I don't know. That's why we need time apart. I don't want to make the same mistakes as I have in the past."

"Life's a matter of trial and error." Baldur said slowly, quoting Mr. Stark's words. "Sometimes you have to fail so you can succeed."

Loki glanced towards him, once they pulled to a stop at a red light. There was a fondness on Loki's face, something that hadn't been directed towards him for his entire life. And it made him smile, a genuine and pleased smile.

"You're right. Failure is a good thing."

"Except when it comes to chemistry,"

"Oh, I don't know. I think you've learned quite a bit from your mistakes, baby brother. Maybe there's hope for you yet."

"Maybe so," Baldur's smile widened and for the moment he thought everything would be okay.


End file.
